Skylar Wolf and the Heir of Slytherin
by TheScarletPen13
Summary: The second story in a series. Skylar is starting her second year of Hogwarts, and she's faced with many challenges as well as excitement and adventure. Warning: Very cliché. Also, warnings for mention of abuse and strong language.
1. Chapter 1

Hey! Welcome to the installment of the first chapter of my second Harry Potter story! Sorry it's taken so long, I've been really busy with school and other things. Make sure to follow me or my story, since I don't post often or consistently. I'd love feedback, so please review!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but Skylar and Celeste, everything else belongs to its respective owners.

Word Count: 2,635

* * *

Skylar smiled as she reread the letter for the tenth time, stroking the silky fur of her feline companion. Celeste had the tendency to disappear to who-knows-where when they were at Hogwarts, but at home, she never left the witch's side. Celeste was a distraction for Skylar; a companion to rely on after hours of pain. She had just been beaten, once again, this time for dropping a plate. Breaking things had a severe consequence. Luckily for Skylar, nothing could ruin her day. Not only did she have Celeste to comfort her, she also had received a heartfelt letter from Hermione. She had been waiting all summer for a letter to arrive, for she didn't know how to send one, as she didn't have an owl herself. After receiving Hermione's letter, the delivery owl waited for her response before flying away. She had also given him letters for Ron and Harry, but so far neither one had responded.

The letter read,

 _Dear Skylar,_

 _I know it has only been a few months, but I miss you already! I keep thinking of you whenever I pick up a book, and I couldn't wait to owl you! By the way, I was off on vacation for the first part of summer, so I wasn't able to send you any mail. I've talked to Ron, and he said he's currently on vacation, so if he doesn't write to you it's because he's pretty busy. I don't know what's up with Harry though- he hasn't responded to any of my letters._ Skylar found that quite odd. She hadn't expected Ron to reply, and being on vacation was a good excuse, but why didn't Harry? Maybe he didn't like her as much as she thought he did.

 _My parents took me to the Netherlands for a month, and it was beautiful! I swear I could have stayed there forever! I took a few photos, so I can show them to you when we go back to school. Do you miss Hogwarts at all? I sure do. I love my parents more than anything, but I miss you guys and classes are so much fun. Even Potions, although Snape can be a precocious prick._ Skylar laughed whenever she read that part.

 _I will admit it's nice to have a break; some of those Slytherin kids wouldn't leave me alone! Also, I've noticed how untameable my hair is! I don't know why; both my parents have normal hair, but I'm left with a bird's nest! Maybe you could help me out when school starts up; your hair always looks nice._

 _I've already read the required texts for this year, and I assume you have as well. Did you notice Gilderoy Lockhart's books were required? Do you think he'll be teaching? I mean, they do need a replacement for Professor Quirrell! I know he was evil and all, but he was honestly a pretty decent teacher._ Skylar could atone to that. _Lockhart would be a great teacher for DADA, given all that he's done. He's so experienced with magic!_

 _Anyways, I hope you enjoy your summer. I can't wait to see you, and you better save a spot on the train for me!_

 _Love,_

 _Hermione Granger_

Skylar's heart swelled with joy when she saw that Hermione had written "love". She'd never felt love before, but her friends meant the world to her. She did find it odd that Harry was MIA, but she decided not to think too hard into it. She had indeed read all the required books, but she didn't find anything written by Gilderoy Lockhart interesting. In fact, all of his stories seemed fake and over exaggerated. As though they were fiction and not fact. Not that she had anything against fiction, but she did when it was falsely labeled as non-fiction.

An owl tapped at Skylar's window, alerting her of the new mail. She unravelled the scroll previously gripped by the talons of the barn owl. What she read on the scroll both surprised and excited her. Apparently Hermione was having her parents pick her up to go Diagon Alley since Ron and Harry still had to buy their books. Skylar clutched the letter close to her chest as soon as she'd read it, her cornflower blue eyes filling with joyous tears. Black and purple bruises covered her creamy skin, her arms and legs marred by the ugly marks. She could feel pain in her body, but her heart ached with pleasure just from that simple promise. Hermione was saving her from her Hellhole and she couldn't thank her enough.

Skylar frowned as she stared at her legs. She couldn't thank Hermione at all. She couldn't, because if she did, she would reveal her weakness. She would have to recount all the terrible beatings that she had tried vigorously rid her memory of. Her "caretakers" would be put in jail, and she would be stuck in some sort of orphanage. She would be all alone again. She would be pitied. Skylar _hated_ being pitied.

* * *

Skylar was jolted from her daydream when she heard the sound of a closed fist on wood. She peered out of the small window in her room, a smile blooming on her face when she recognized the bushy brunette waving up at her. She quickly waved back before picking up her suitcase, Celeste slumbering on her shoulder.

"Bye Velma, Gordon. I'm off to school!" She yelled with a fake cheeriness in her voice.

"Yeah, yeah." Velma grumbled from her slouched position on the stained couch, "Hush, ya brat." Skylar skipped off, slamming the door shut behind her. Her smile grew wider when the muggleborn witch barrelled into her, wrapping her arms around the surprised redhead. Skylar giggled and leaned into the embrace, wrapping her own arms around Hermione.

"It's so good to see you!" Hermione flushed when they had finished their embrace.

"You too!" Skylar giggled, climbing into the car behind her friend.

"Well hello there." The woman in the passenger seat craned her head around to smile at Skylar. "You must be Skylar! I've heard a lot about you. Hermione tells me you've got top marks!" Skylar smiled sheepishly.

"Yes,ma'am."

"Oh, dear, call me Dr. Granger." She smiled at the redhead with a perfect set of teeth. "We're both Dr. Granger, actually." She gestured to herself and her husband, who was currently driving.

"Right." Skylar nodded, "You're both dentists, right?" Mrs. Granger nodded as confirmation.

"I suppose that means Hermione's told you about us, huh?" Skylar nodded, her small smile reflected by Mrs. Granger's large, bright one. The Grangers and Skylar were still deep in conversation when they arrived at the pub that led to Diagon Alley. Dr. and Dr. Granger bade the two soon-to-be second-years farewell as they drove off, Hermione and Skylar both brimming with excitement to meet up with Ron and Harry after a long summer apart.

"Harry!" Hermione waved at the dark-haired wizard from the steps of Gringotts. The brunette and redhead ran to hug Harry, Hagrid following close behind. Standing beside her friend, Skylar noticed Harry had grown at least an inch, his head still above hers although she'd grown an inch over the summer.

"Hello, Hagrid." Hermione greeted their professor kindly. "Oh, it's wonderful to see you two again!" Hermione's cheeks turned a slight pink color, flushed with excitement and happiness. Skylar nudged Hermione, giggling at the state of Harry's glasses. Hermione rolled her eyes and giggled before holding her wand at eye-level.

"Oculus Reparo." Skylar watched as the bridge of Harry's glasses instantly mended together into one unified piece.

"I need to remember that one." Harry joked, getting laughs from his three companions.

"Come on, everyone's been so worried." Hermione tugged Harry along with her free arm, her other arm locked with Skylar's. Hagrid wandered off to find Flesh-Eating Slug Repellent.

"Oh, Harry. Thank goodness." Mrs. Weasley let out a sigh of relief as the three young wizards approached her. "We hoped you hadn't gone too far. Come on now. We're off to Flourish and Blotts."

"Isn't it thrilling?!" Hermione squealed. "Gilderoy Lockhart's going to be there!" She shook Skylar's shoulders, the redhead looking at her with discomfort. "We can actually meet him! I mean, he's written almost the whole booklist!" She ran off to the bookstore, closely followed by Mrs. Weasley.

"Who?" Harry asked, staring confused at the excited brunette.

"A famous author." Skylar sighed. "Hermione's _obsessed_ with him, just like all the other witches who've read his books. Most of them are our required readings."

"And why aren't you squealing like an excited fangirl?" Harry joked, nudging the redhead playfully.

"Because I'm not a fangirl." Skylar replied. "I think he's a fraud. Honestly, he's not even that great a writer."

"Well, then why does Hermione like him? She likes good books as much as you."

"Apparently most witches are charmed by his...well...charm." Skylar explained. "He's a fairly handsome man, according to the interviews, but I think he just looks like any other wizard his age." She shrugged as the walked hand in hand to the shop. "I'm just not one to be distracted by a pretty face." The two friends walked into the bookstore, only to be met with a throng of witches of all ages. They appeared to be searching for the famous author. Skylar had seen a poster on their way in; apparently Gilderoy Lockhart was signing copies of his books.

"There he is!" Mrs. Weasley squealed, nudging Hermione and pointing at the blond author.

"Mum fancies him." Ron explained, seeing Harry and Skylar walk up to them. Mrs. Weasley scowled and jabbed her youngest son on the shoulder. "What?" Ron whined at her, "It's true!"

"Out of the way!" A short man with a camera pushed his way through the crowd. "This is for The Daily Prophet!" Upon hearing his words, Gilderoy Lockhart looked up from signing, flashing a blinding smile for the flashing camera.

"Is that...no it can't be…" The author appeared to be staring at Harry.

"Oh lord." Skylar pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head, knowing exactly where this was going. Gilderoy Lockhart was known to do just about anything for fame.

"Harry Potter!" Lockhart gasped, pushing through the crowd to meet the Boy-Who-Lived. Skylar tightened her grip on Harry's arm, quickly growing uncomfortable from the crowd of people and the attention set on them. Lockhart pulled Harry from Skylar's grasp, causing her to fall back onto the floor. She instinctively brought her knees to her chest, her arms wrapped tightly around her legs, head tucked down into her chest. She could feel herself quivering from the loss of contact. Normally she hated the idea of other people touching her, but she craved it now more than ever. She'd grown accustomed to the friendly hugs and hand-holding from her three best friends, and she felt cold without.

"Nice big smile, Harry." She heard a muffled voice from the front of the room. She assumed it was Lockhart. Her breathing hitched as she quivered from the fear, her social anxiety kicking in even more. The voices around her were muffled, and she had backed herself into a small nook, surrounded from three sides by bookshelves. She peeked over her arms, feeling slightly calmed as she noticed she had managed to escape the throng of people. Her arms and legs were still shaking, and she clutched tightly at her forearms, leaving crescent-shaped puncture marks from her nails digging into her creamy skin.

"Hey, you okay?" A voice shook her from her panic, two hands pulling her up from the ground. She opened her eyes to see Ron standing in front of her. She nodded shakily while he pulled her into a quick hug.

"Oh no." Ron groaned, looking off past the witch.

"What?"

"It's Malfoy and Harry." Ron turned Skylar around to face the confrontation between the blond Slytherin and dark-haired Gryffindor. Ginny was standing off to the side, the handle of her cauldron clutched by white knuckles. Ron and Skylar hurried over to the scene, Skylar standing beside Ginny, taking the cauldron from her. The youngest Weasley gave her a shy smile, returned by the shy Wolf.

"Bet you loved that, didn't you, Potter?" The blonde sneered at Harry. "Famous Harry Potter." He mocked the Gryffindor in a voice laced with jealousy. "Can't even go into a bookshop without making the front page."

"Leave him alone!" Ginny yelled suddenly, stepping up closer to Harry.

"Look Potter, you've got yourself a girlfriend!" Draco cackled, Ginny cheeks turning a bright shade of pink. She stepped back, Skylar pulling the young witch to her chest.

"Silence, Draco!" Lucius stepped forward into the light, standing on the stairs in front of them. "Ah...Mr. Potter. I don't believe we've met." Skylar barely had to glance at the older Malfoy to tell he was evil. His voice was dripping with sarcasm, his twinkling eyes holding sinister intent. Lucius extended a pale hand to Harry, as if to shake. Instead, he traced his fingers across the hair on Harry's forehead to reveal the lightning-bolt scar. Feeling the cold touch of his fingers, Harry stepped back warily.

"Forgive me, Mr. Potter." Lucius looked down his nose at the Gryffindor, "But your scar is a legend. As, of course, is the wizard who gave it to you."

"He was a murderer." Harry spat, staring at the blond man with obvious distaste.

"Yes, a pity about your parents." Lucius drawled, grooming his fingernails. "Curious that you yourself should escape with a mere flesh wound." He looked pointedly at the scar. "Curious, too, that you speak of him in the past. Surely, you don't think He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is gone forever."

"His name is Voldemort." Skylar replied firmly, moving up to stand beside Harry, their fingers interlacing with each other. Lucius's gaze moved to the redhead.

"You must be very brave, Miss Wolf, to dare speak his name. Or foolish." Skylar narrowed her cornflower-blue eyes at the blonde, her irises flashing aqua for a brief moment.

"Fear of a name only increases fear of the thing itself." Hermione added, moving up to stand on the other side of Skylar. The two smiled at each other and interlinked their own hands.

"You must be Miss Granger." Lucius commented, seizing the girl up. "Draco's told me all about you...and your parents. Muggles, aren't they?" He peered over Hermione's head, as though he was searching for the Grangers.

"Sorry, they aren't here for you to bully." Skylar spat. Lucius gave the redhead a dissatisfied frown as Mr. Weasley approached the children.

"Ron, Harry!" He addressed the two boys he was on charge of. "It's mad in here. Let's go outside."

"Well, well, well…" Lucius drawled, locking eyes with Ron's father. "Arthur Weasley." Arthur stiffened at the mention of his name.

"Lucius." He replied without emotion.

"Busy time at the Ministry. All those raids. I hope they're paying you overtime." Skylar looked back at Ginny to see Draco pulling a tattered copy of A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration from her cauldron. The wheels began to turn in her head. The Malfoys were rich, why steal a book, and from the first year list? Skylar assumed it was part of some sinister plan. She felt a strange heat in her eyes when the scanned over Lucius's left arm. She moved to whisper to Harry what she'd seen, but when she did, she felt a strange tingling in the back of her brain. Something was telling her not to mess up the line of events yet to come. She shut her mouth and lowered herself back on her heels. She was shaken from her daze when Lucius tossed a different copy of the book into Ginny's cauldron, Draco departing with the older Malfoy.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: This is probably one of the only times I'll be able to post chapters so quickly, so don't get used to it. It's probably going to be more like a chapter per week, if I'm lucky. I wish I could do it faster, but, alas, I have a shit-ton of schoolwork to do and it's stressful enough. Please review - feedback helps me with future chapters, and don't refrain from asking any questions or giving suggestions! I'll answer any questions/comments/suggestions in the chapter after they were posted. Thanks!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my OC Skylar Wolf and her pet cat, Celeste. Everything else belongs to its respective owner.

Word Count: 1,784

* * *

Mrs. Weasley was at Platform 9¾, urging her daughter to go through the brick column.

"Go on, Ginny. You know what to do." Ginny nervously ran towards the barrier, closing her eyes as she passed through it with her things intact. Upon passing, she opened her eyes to come face to face with Hermione and Skylar.

"Hey Ginny!" Hermione greeted the youngest Weasley.

"Would you like to sit with us?" Skylar offered, "The boys are late and we're tired of waiting." Ginny nodded happily before following the two witches onto the train. She waved goodbye to a smiling Mrs. Weasley. The three girls found an empty compartment and made themselves uncomfortable.

"Where do you think they are?" Hermione asked the older redhead. She shrugged before pulling out a stack of books from her bag.

"I'm not sure, but I know it can't be good." She gave a pointed look at Ginny, who giggled in return. She knew firsthand what it was like to share a home with rowdy boys.

"Ooh, Little Women?" Hermione picked out the novel from the stack.

"Go ahead, I've brought enough to last…" Skylar counted the books, adding up to fifteen. "Enough for the train ride." Ginny looked at her wide-eyed. "I like reading." She explained simply. "Anyways, help yourselves. I've got plenty for all." When the trolley-lady came by, she bought a variety of candies, spreading them out on the table like she'd done with Harry and Ron their first year. When Ginny fell asleep beside her, Skylar got up to move.

"Where are you going?" Hermione asked without taking her eyes off the page.

"Just to see Neville and the other guys." She replied nonchalantly.

"Okay. See you later." Skylar closed the sliding door quietly before searching the neighboring cabins for Neville and his friends.

"Hey!" She greeted Neville once she found him. "What's...going on?" She asked, gauging the shocked expressions on the faces of Neville, Seamus, Dean, and Michael.

"We-we-" Neville started, staring at the window.

"We just saw Harry and Ron pass by in a flying car!" Seamus blurted out.

"Oh, lord." Skylar put her face in her hands.

"He's not kidding!" Dean added.

"I know," Skylar shook the loose strands of her hair from her face, "I knew they'd gotten up to something bad. You've just confirmed it. When the professors find out, they'll have detention for _years_." The boys laughed at her reaction. They talked for a while before Skylar headed back to her own cabin.

* * *

Skylar walked into the greenhouse alongside Hermione, both with their bags and arms full of books. They'd both heard about Ron and Harry's run-in with the Whomping Willow, and they were just glad the boys were alive. Skylar knew that Mr. Weasley wouldn't be too happy when he found out about the condition of his car.

"Detention. On the first day?" Skylar craned her head to see the source of the question. It was Neville, conversing with Harry, Ron, and some of the other Gryffindor second years.

"That must be some kind of record." Seamus joked. Skylar stifled a giggle as she walked over to Ron and Harry with Hermione.

"I should think you'd count yourself lucky that's all you got." The brunette commented, looking back and forth between Ron and Harry.

"I should think you'd mind your own business." Ron countered with a sour look. There was an awkward silence as Hermione and Ron glared at each other. Their moment was interrupted by Professor Sprout.

"Welcome to Greenhouse Three, Second Years. Today, we will be repotting Mandrakes." Skylar shivered as she remembered what she'd read in the Herbology books about the human-like plants. "Now, who here can tell me the properties of the Mandrake?" To no one's surprise, Hermione's hand shot up in the air.

"Mandrake, or Mandragora, is used to return those who have been transfigured to their original state. It's also quite dangerous. The Mandrake's cry is fatal to anyone who hears it."

"Excellent." Professor Sprout clapped her hands together. "Ten points to Gryffindor. Now, as our Mandrakes are only seedlings, their cries won't kill yet. However, they will knock you out for several hours. That is why I have provided each of you with a pair of earmuffs. If you would then…" Each student pulled a pair of earmuffs from under the tables. Ron made a disgusted look when he pulled out a pair of hideous fluffy pink earmuffs. Skylar suppressed a giggle as she saw Ron's reaction before pulling out a pair of plain black earmuffs, identical to Harry and Hermione's. Professor Sprout led the students to the garden area of the classroom and stopped at a pot with a rather large fern-like plant. She grabbed the bunch of leaves in her hand and lifted it up, revealing a brown, mud colored baby, the leaves sticking up from its head like tufts of green hair. Neville took one look, and his brown eyes rolled back into his head and he fell to the ground, his body lying limp and motionless. The Professor and students crowded around the Gryffindor.

"Hmm." Professor Sprout examined the motionless boy, prying open his eyelids and checking his pulse. "It appears as though Mr. Longbottom neglected his muffs." She picked up the discarded said muffs in her hands for everyone to see.

"No ma'am. He's just fainted." Seamus explained. His muffs had just fallen off when he fell. Harry and Skylar couldn't help but let out a few giggles.

* * *

Skylar watched as Percy Weasley entered the Great Hall followed by a gorgeous blonde Ravenclaw. She recognized the fifth-year as Penelope Clearwater. Skylar had the sneaking suspicion that she and the older Weasley were dating, but she couldn't be sure.

"There's Nearly Headless Nick." Penelope pointed to said ghost, who was currently floating around the hall, greeting the students and professors.

"Hello, Sir Nicolas." Skylar nearly laughed at Percy's formality.

"Hello Percy. Miss Clearwater." The elder ghost nodded at the two students before floating off. Skylar turned to her right to see Hermione, her nose still buried in one of Lockhart's books. It was Gilderoy Lockhart's Travels with Trolls. Across the table, Ron appeared to be wrapping his broken wand in layers of some sort of duct tape. Skylar picked up the roll and examined it. The tape was labeled "Spellotape". She wondered if it truly worked or if it was some kind of wizarding scam.

"Say it." Ron sighed dramatically to Harry. His wand was in two pieces, barely held together by the tacky adhesive. "I'm doomed."

"You're doomed." Harry nodded affirmatively. The four were blinded with a bright light as the sound of a camera click went off. When the flashing light faded, a small first year stood in front of Harry. Skylar giggled at the little boy dwarfed by the large camera hanging around his neck.

"Hiya Harry!" The boy held out his hand to Harry excitedly. "I'm Colin Creevey. I'm in Gryffindor too." Skylar remembered Colin. He had been both nervous and excited to be sorted, jumping with joy when the hat announced his house.

"Hello, Colin." Harry started, "Nice to meet-"

"They're for my dad-" Colin interrupted giddily, "-the pictures. He's a milkman, you know, a Muggle. Like all our family's been until me." He looked proud when he came to that part. "No one knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic 'till we got my letter from Hogwarts. Everyone just thought I was mental." Skylar could definitely relate to that. At one point she'd gotten so scared and angry with Gordon, she'd unwittingly floated a knife into the air. The knife flew at Gordon, embedding itself in the wall a centimeter from his right ear. She'd gotten quite a beating for that.

"Imagine that." Ron muttered sarcastically, still wrapping the dinky tape around his wand. Skylar kicked him under the table and he scowled.

"Say, Harry. D'you think your friend could take a photo of me and you standing together? Ya' know, to prove I've met you?" Skylar stifled a giggle when she saw Ron's face. He was turning a bright red, practically blowing steam from his ears. He looked positively homicidal. Before he could say anything, however, a wave of owls streamed into the Great Hall. Different shapes and sizes, different colors and patterns on their feathers, all graceful in swooping arcs and dives. Except for one large grey owl with piercing yellow eyes. The strange looking owl dive bombed from the air and into Ron's bowl, splashing his black bean soup all over the table and his robes.

"Bloody bird's a menace!" Ron growled at the owl, who looked both confused and saddened.

"Oh hush Ron." Skylar crossed her arms. "At least you _have_ an owl." She regarded the red envelope lying in front of Ron. "Hey, what's that?" She pointed at the letter. Ron looked down, his grey-green eyes widening, face paling more than normal.

"Weasley's gotten himself a Howler." Seamus cried, prompting heads to turn and stare at the embarrassed redhead.

"What's a Howler?" Skylar whispered to Hermione.

"Oh, you'll see." She replied cryptically.

"Go on, Ron." Neville looked almost as pale as the redhead. "I ignored one from my Gran once...and it was horrible." He shuddered, Ron grimacing at the letter before him. His hands shook a bit as he picked up the letter in question. He opened it, flinching as a voice was released, shaking the hall and rattling the silverware on the table.

" _RONALD WEASLEY! HOW DARE YOU STEAL THAT CAR!"_ Skylar let out a nervous giggle as she recognized Molly Weasley's voice emerging from the angry-faced envelope that had taken shape of an angry face. " _I AM ABSOLUTELY DISGUSTED! YOUR FATHER'S NOW FACING AN INQUIRY AT WORK AND IT'S ENTIRELY YOUR FAULT! IF YOU PUT ANOTHER TOE OUT OF LINE WE'LL BRING YOU STRAIGHT HOME!"_ Her voice softened as she got to the next part, "Ginny dear, congratulations on making Gryffindor. Your father and I are so proud." Everyone turned to look at the redhead first year. Ginny had a slight blush as she ducked shyly from the prying gazes of spectators. Skylar draped her arm around Ginny's shoulders as she furiously scribbled in a small black notebook. The red letter was magically ripped into bits and pieces before everyone's eyes, shortly followed by peals of laughter and howling from the other tables. The flash on Collin's camera went off as he took pictures of the ashamed second year.

"Look at it his way," Harry patted Ron's shoulder sympathetically, "How much worse can things get?" Skylar snorted and shook her head, knowing Harry's words would soon be opposed by future events.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry it's taking me so long to update! I'm currently very busy with studying and other school stuff since I have a bunch of huge things due/tests the last week before Spring Break. I'm also writing four or five different stories at once, although this is the only one that I'm posting. Also, just to let you know, I won't be posting anything during my Spring Break because I'll be on vacation with my family. :)**

Please read and review! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me except my OC (Skylar Wolf) - All Harry Potter characters/plots/etc. belong to the wonderful J.K. Rowling! :)

* * *

Word Count: 2,481

Skylar groaned as soon as she entered the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom and saw the replacement teacher. The blonde author looked positively ecstatic as the students filed into the classroom, a brilliant smile plastered on his face. All the girls, save Skylar, were swooning under the blue-eyed gaze of none other than Gilderoy Lockhart. Harry and Ron were too busy staring curiously at the rattling cage on the teacher's desk to watch as Lockhart paced rhythmically at the front of the room.

"Let me introduce you to your new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher. Me." He flashed another dazzling smile at his audience, girls swooning, boys and Skylar rolling their eyes in distaste. "Gilderoy Lockhart, Order of Merlin, Third Class, Honorary Member…" Skylar drowned out the rest of Lockhart's self-promotion as she laid her head on her arms on the desk. She perked up when he mentioned a quiz, knowing it would likely challenge her knowledge on all things magic, although it wasn't an easy task. Like Hermione, she paid attention and retained every word the teacher deemed important, as well as possessing an eidetic memory. Skylar had the suspicion that Hermione had one as well; being that both girls got perfect scores on all their exams so far.

Lockhart handed out the quizzes, and Skylar struggled to hide both laughter and disdain as she scanned over the questions. _That narcissistic, egocentric, egotistical twit! All these questions are about him!_ Skylar thought to herself. She knew all the answers and put down exactly what Gilderoy Lockhart would want to see, although she somewhat hated herself for doing so. However, honesty would get her nowhere with this man, so she refrained from changing her answers. Some of the questions were common sense, but she picked out the ones that really made her think for last.

1\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's favorite colour? Skylar scribbled down "lilac", knowing it was the correct answer. She found it odd that the author preferred a form of purple, for that usually meant you were compassionate, artistic, and unique; whereas Lockhart was the complete opposite. Skylar thought red would fit him much better; it meant that a person was bold, loud, and boisterous. Her own favorites were black and blue. Blue meant she was deep, calm, reliable, and trustworthy. Black meant she was strong-willed, determined, and enigmatic.

5\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's secret ambition. Skylar just copied down what he wrote in one of his books; "To rid the world of evil and market his own range of hair products." She nearly giggle when she'd read that; seeing the serious goal along with the marketing idea. They were quite a contrast to each other.

9\. What is Gilderoy Lockhart's greatest achievement to date? Skylar knew that this was an opinion based question, so she just put down "banishing the Bogle-banshee in Kathmandu." Skylar didn't think any of Lockhart's "achievements" were real, unless he just stole them from someone else.

11\. How many times has Gilderoy Lockhart won _Witch Weekly_ 's Most Charming Smile award. Five. Skylar wondered if the award was created just for him.

16\. In his book Break with a Banshee, how did Gilderoy Lockhart bravely banish the Bandon Banshee? _Well, he said that he hit her over the head with a broomstick,"_ Skylar reflected, scribbling down her answer, _But I don't think that would actually stop a banshee of any kind...whatever. I'm just putting down the answers he wants, anyways._

21\. Which is Gilderoy Lockhart's best side for photographs? The left side. _Although,_ Skylar mused, _I'm sure he'd say every side._ She nearly giggled at the thought.

29\. Has Gilderoy Lockhart ever won the Dunstable Duelling Championship for wizards or just been pipped at the post? Skylar rolled her eyes and wrote, "always won", although she knew for a fact he hadn't won once.

34\. What product(s) does Gilderoy Lockhart use to clean his teeth with to achieve his famous dazzling white smile? Gentleman's-tooth-pearling-paste and Fairy Spark Dust. Skylar had to admit that his teeth were just about as perfect as you could get.

54\. When is Gilderoy Lockhart's birthday and what would his ideal gift be? January 26, harmony between magical and non-magical peoples. Skylar thought that was pretty cheesy, but then again, he was probably just saying it to make himself look better. That was the last question on the "small quiz", which, in reality, was a trivia about Gilderoy Lockhart. She turned in her quiz with ten minutes left, shortly after Hermione, of course. When the thirty minutes were up, _Professor_ Lockhart- it almost made it hurt for Skylar to even _think_ it- rifled through his pile of finished quizzes.

"Tut, tut." He scolded the students before him. "Hardly any of you remembered my favorite color is lilac." He scanned the sea of students and locked eyes momentarily with Hermione and Skylar. "But, Miss Hermione Granger _and_ Miss Skylar Wolf knew that my secret ambition is to rid the world of evil and to market my own range of hair care potions. Hermione beamed with pride while Skylar just blushed and hid her head in her arms. She didn't enjoy being called out in front of the whole class, like most. Professor Lockhart continued babbling, meanwhile, Skylar kept her head face-down on her desk.

* * *

"Now...be warned!" Lockhart cried, shaking Skylar from her daze and sparking her attention. "It is my job to arm you against the foulest creatures known to wizardkind! You may find yourself facing your own worst fears in this room. Know only that no harm can befall you whilst I am here…" He dramatically turned to face the rattling cage on his desk. "I must ask you not to scream. It may provoke them." Skylar turned to her left to see poor Neville growing paler by the second. Harry and Ron, who were right behind her, leaned forward in anticipation. Skylar drummed her fingers on the desk as Lockhart whipped the cover off to reveal a rusted cage full of small, blue creatures. The had lanky arms and legs, two small antennae, pointed ears, and translucent wings. Skylar recognized the creatures from one of her books. They were-

"Cornish pixies?" Seamus Finnigan voiced her own thoughts. These creatures weren't rare, just plain annoying. It was bad enough to have one around, let alone...ten? There were so many, Skylar couldn't even count them all.

"Yes. Freshly caught Cornish pixies." Professor Lockhart looked particularly proud of himself. Seamus couldn't contain his laughter, and burst out with a snort. Skylar was having trouble hiding her amusement as well. The pixies, although troublesome, weren't that hard to capture. You just needed patience, something she knew for a fact that Lockhart didn't have.

"Laugh if you will, Mr. Finnegan," Gilderoy Lockhart gave the student a pointed glare, as if to prove Skylar's intuition correct, "but pixies can be devilishly tricky little blighters. Let's see what you make of them now!" With that, he opened the door of the cage, unleashing the rage of at least a dozen Cornish pixies upon his class. Skylar watched curiously as they spray some of the Slytherins with ink bottles, something she could see Peeves doing. Glass shattered on the floor as the creatures threw beakers around. A piece of glass grazed Skylar's hand, and a thin line of red appeared. Skylar whimpered and clutched her injured hand to her chest. To her surprise, the pair of pixies that had been previously levitating Neville and pulling his ears, were now set on her. They glided down to the redhead and she felt the change in their demeanor as they gently examined her hurt hand. She could sense that they had only been joking around, and now felt guilty for their childish actions. She used a simple spell to heal the cut, and reassured the pranksters that she was fine. After that, she noticed the pixies didn't seem to bother her at all.

"Come on now, round them up, round them up." Professor Lockhart insisted as most of the students ran out of the classroom. "They're only pixies." He brandished his wand with a flourish; the handle fancy and dark, the rest was light like birch wood. "Peskipiksi Pesternomi!" His wand barely sparked, having no effect on the pesky creatures. One pixie with particularly large wings and ears seized the blonde man's wand and proceeded to toss it out the open window with a cackle. Professor Lockhart ran out of the classroom, following the stampede of second years. Before he reached the door, he stopped to look back at the remaining students. "I'll ask you four to just nip the rest of them back into their cage." And with that, he ran off.

"What do we do now?" Ron asked, looking towards his friends.

"Immobilus." Hermione commanded, pointing her own wand at the pixies carrying Neville. They froze in midair and Neville was dropped onto Lockhart's desk beside the empty cage.

"Why is it always me?" He wailed.

* * *

The four friends made their way out of the Defense Against Dark Arts classroom, clothing shredded and hair askew, aside from Skylar. While their robes bore rips and holes, hers was untouched, albeit hanging off one shoulder like always. Her hair was as smooth and shiny as it had been when she entered.

"Can you believe him?" Ron threw his hands up in exasperation.

"I'm sure Professor Lockhart just wanted to give us some hands-on experience." Hermione quickly defended the author.

"Hands on?" Harry scoffed, "Hermione, he didn't have a clue what he was doing!" Skylar giggled from beside the bespectacled boy.

"Rubbish. Read his books. You'll see all the amazing things he's done." Hermione argued.

"He _says_ he's done." Ron replied wittily. Skylar only laughed harder.

"And how did you come out of this mess unscathed?" Hermione accused the redhead, quickly trying to avert attention from her beloved role model. Skylar's cheeks flushed pink as the three pairs of eyes turned to stare at her.

"Well, er, you know, I kinda have this...ability-sort of, to read people…" She began, cut off by Hermione.

"So, you can read creatures than as well?" She clarified. Skylar nodded.

"Well, that usually helps me bond with creatures." She explained.

"Well, then, couldn't you have asked them to leave us alone?" Ron argued.

"Well, yeah, but I doubt they would have listened." The redhead giggled. "Besides, you were the ones using spells on them." She pointed out.

"Whatever." Ron sighed, sticking his hands in his robe pockets.

* * *

Harry and Skylar were once again on the Quidditch pitch, circling each other on their identical brooms. After the difficulty of sharing a single broom, McGonagall had given in and bought Skylar her own Nimbus 2000. At first, Skylar had refused the generous gift, but McGonagall threatened to ban her from the team if she didn't. The Gryffindor team had managed to work out a schedule to give Harry and Skylar even playing time, switching off for each game. As she had hoped, Skylar's first game of her first year had gone well, arguably better than Harry's, in fact. She had spotted the Snitch within the first few minutes of the game, although she knew the Ravenclaw seeker hadn't. Her talent for reading people came in handy during the games. She managed to keep the seeker from capturing the Snitch until her own team had gotten a good amount of points, and from there, she worked her magic. Unlike her best friend, Skylar had managed to snatch the ball without swallowing it, earning cheers from the crowd and her teammates.

Various students of each house sat in the grass that surrounded the pitch, studying or chatting. As the Gryffindor Team lowered to the ground, the Quidditch team in green sauntered over to them. Skylar knew there would be trouble, for the Slytherin and Gryffindor houses were natural rivals. Hermione and Ron got up from their spots and joined Harry and Skylar beside the other Gryffindors.

"I smell trouble." Ron whispered, earning an agreeing nod from the other redhead.

"Clear out Flint!" Oliver pointed at said boy, "I booked the pitch for Gryffindor today."

"Easy, Wood," Marcus Flint sneered, "I've got a note." He brandished the piece of parchment, Oliver quickly snatching it away.

" _I, Professor Severus Snape, do hereby give the Slytherin team permission to practice today, owing to the need to train their new Seeker._ " Oliver Wood read with a frown. He looked up from the note to glare at Flint. "You've got a new Seeker? Who?" A small blonde boy pushed his way through the Slytherins, coming to stand beside Marcus. "Malfoy?"

"Draco?" Harry looked at him in disgust.

"I bet you my dessert that his father bribed them to let him join." Skylar whispered to Ron, earning a snicker from the young Weasley.

"That's right," Draco sneered, "And that's not all that's new…" The rest of the time brandished their gleaming, new broomsticks.

"Nimbus Two Thousand Ones?!" Ron gasped, regarding the upgraded tools.

"A generous gift from Draco's father." Marcus bragged.

"That's right, Weasley," Draco turned his gaze to the redhead boy, "You see, unlike some, my father can afford to buy the best." Ron scoffed as Skylar pat his hand sympathetically.

"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent." Hermione spat, earning giggles from her friends.

"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood." Everyone gasped, save Harry, who looked very confused. Skylar strode up to the blonde and smacked him across the face, the noise resounding across the field. "If you wanted to play rough, you could have just asked." Draco replied slyly, winking at her. Skylar raised her hand to smack the boy again, but before she could, Oliver pulled her back, restraining her arms.

"Save it for the match." He calmed her.

"You'll pay for that one, Malfoy!" Ron cried, whipping out his broken wand.

"Wait!" Skylar called, "Your wand-" Ron paid no attention as he yelled what sounded like, "Eat slugs!", a beam of green light leaving the tip of his wand and hitting his own chest.

"-is backwards." Skylar finished quietly. Ron dropped to the ground, Hermione running to his side. He began belching, slugs falling from his open mouth. Colin Creevy ran up to the field and immediately began snapping pictures of the sickly second year.

"Wow!" He gasped, angling his camera in every direction. "Can you hold him still, Harry?!"

"Get out of the way, Colin!" Harry rushed in to pick up his friend. Ron leaned against Harry, his arm draped lazily over the bespectacled boy's shoulders. "Let's get him to Hagrid," Harry addressed Hermione and Skylar, "He'll know what to do." The girls nodded before proceeding to help carry the cursed second year to Hagrid's hut.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Hey, thanks for being patient! I've been out of town for Spring Break (San Diego, CA) so I haven't been able to post anything. I actually have finished up to Chapter 6, so don't worry! Anyways, I warned you in the beginning that it would take me forever to complete a story! XD

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my OC (Skylar Wolf) - everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling :)

Word Count: 2,412

* * *

Skylar sighs at the sight in front of her. They were barely a week into their second year, and Ron was already cursed. He vomited slugs every few minutes into the pail between his legs, while Harry and Hermione had each taken a seat at the table with Hagrid. Skylar sat on the floor near Ron, petting Fang. She hardly got to see Fang since she barely saw Hagrid, along with the fact that Celeste was very adamant about staying far away from any other living creature, aside from Skylar and her three best friends.

"Better out than in." Hagrid chuckled humorlessly before coughing awkwardly into his fist. "Who was he tryin' ter curse, anyways?"

"Malfoy." Harry admitted, "He called, Hermione, well, I don't know exactly what it means…" He trailed off.

"He called me a Mudblood." Hermione whispered.

"He didn'!" Hagrid gasped in both shock and disgust. Skylar began to explain once she noticed Harry's puzzled expression.

"It literally means dirty blood. Mudblood is a foul name for someone who is Muggle-born, or someone with non-magical parents."

"Someone like me." Hermione added. "It's not a term one usually hears in a civilized conversation."

"Yeh see, Harry," Hagrid began, "There are some wizards, like the Malfoys, who think they're better than everyone else 'because they're what people call pureblood."

"That's horrible!" Harry replied honestly.

"Disgusting!" Ron added after spitting out a slug.

"It's illogical, really," Skylar insisted, "I mean, we wouldn't be alive if it weren't for muggles - wizards would've died out long ago. Besides," She glances at the brunette and smiles, "Blood has nothing to do with intelligence or magical ability. Just look at Hermione - she's Muggle-born and there isn't a spell she can't do." Hermione allowed the corners of her mouth to lift.

* * *

Skylar strolled past the windows in the hallway, staring out at the dark night sky. Celeste was perched on her shoulder, rubbing her head enthusiastically against the redhead's neck. Skylar's aqua orbs reflected the light of the stars, but as beautiful as the night was, she couldn't help but feel an atmosphere of foreboding. Her head began to pound, which wasn't unusual, the start of a stress-induced migraine. That's when she knew something was wrong. The last time she'd gotten a migraine like this was...last year, with Voldemort, and the whole stone ordeal. The shadows on the wall seemed to dance in front of her, growing fangs and claws and forming silhouettes of creatures. Celeste hissed and proceeded to hide herself beneath Skylar's robes and hair, still clinging on to her shoulder. Her claws dug into Skylar's flesh, and she picked up the kitten and wrapped her arms around it. Celeste instantly calmed down, nearly falling asleep in the witch's arms.

" _Blood...I smell blood…"_ A voice whispered, echoing through the dark wallway. Skylar clutched the animal closer to her chest and shivered. The voice was eerie and deep, although it sounded very similar to Parseltongue, or at least that of the snake from the zoo. That was really the first time Skylar could remember speaking Parseltongue. " _Let me rip you...let me kill you…"_ The voice hissed, causing Skylar to run down the hallway, where she collided with three warm bodies.

"Harry? Skylar?" The redhead opened her eyes to see Hermione and Ron standing in front of her, Harry to her side.

"D-Did you hear it?" Harry asked, a scared expression on his face. He seemed to be out of breath, panting a little bit.

"Hear what?" Ron peered at his friend with concern.

"That...voice." Harry replied cryptically. Skylar's eyes widened as she hugged Celeste to her body. He had heard it too.

"Voice? What voice?" Hermione regarded Harry warily.

"I heard it first in Lockhart's office and then again, just-"

" _Kill...time to kill…"_ Skylar and Harry both froze as the voice spoke.

"There is is again." Skylar whispered. Harry stared at her.

"You can hear it too?" The redhead just nodded. "It's moving," Harry turned to face Ron and Hermione, "I think it's going to...kill." He dashed off, closely followed by Skylar. Hermione and Ron exchanged a worried glance before following the two.

* * *

They must have been on the first floor, for the walls were made of stone and murky water pooled on the floor. Looking closer, Skylar noticed something in the water. There appeared to be backwards letters in the water's reflection. She slowly turned around as Hermione and Ron caught up to them.

"What are you guys doing?" Ron hissed. Harry pointed eerily at the words written on the wall in red.

 **THE CHAMBER OF SECRETS HAS BEEN OPENED. ENEMIES OF THE HEIR...BEWARE.**

Skylar shivered as her blue orbs scanned the lettering. The words seemed oddly familiar, but she couldn't place where she'd seen or heard them before, almost like when Hermione couldn't remember Nicholas Flamel.

"What's that?" Ron pointed to a silhouette beneath the lettering. Hanging from a torch was a frozen animal, gold and grey fur still and eyes frozen in fear, it's tail wrapping around the burning torch.

"That's Filch's cat!" Harry gasped, "Mrs. Norris." Celeste arched her back and hissed, fur prickling in fear, before she sought safety in the comfort of Skylar's arms. The redhead allowed the kitten to bury its face in her robes and wrap its tail around her wrist like a bracelet.

"Look at that," Hermione pointed to a trail of spiders crawling along the wall towards a crack in the window, "Have you ever seen spiders act like that?" She noticed Ron's face growing paler by the second, "Ron?"

"I...don't...like...spiders…" He backed away from the wall. A flood of voices came down from the stairwell behind them. A group of students appeared, all in their Slytherin robes. Draco pushed through the crowd to see the cause of the commotion, grinning evilly as he read what had been written on the walls.

"Enemies of the heir, beware!" He mocked, "You'll be next, Mudblood!" The blonde sneered at Hermione, before winking at Skylar.

"What's going on here?" Filch asked in that scratchy voice as he came down the stairs. He peered at all the students suspiciously. "Go on now! Make way…" He started to push through the crowd of students before stopping in his tracks, eye widening. "Mrs. Norris!" He cried before turning to point a shaking finger at Harry. "You!" He screeched, "You've murdered my cat! I'll kill you! I'll-"

"Argus!" Dumbledore reprimanded, walking over to stand beside the janitor, midnight blue robes swishing around him. He stopped suddenly as he took in the scene in front of him, eyes darkening at the sight of the frozen feline. "Everyone will proceed to their dormitories immediately." He turned to look at Ron, Hermione, Harry, and Skylar. "Except you four." The hallway was a shuffle of students, pushing through one another in order to get away from the headmaster in fear of trouble. As the last of the students cleared out, Dumbledore gingerly lifted Mrs. Norris' body from the wall.

"It was definitely a curse that killed her," Gilderoy Lockhart intruded rather rudely. Heads whipped around to stare at him, for he certainly hadn't been there before, "Probably the Transmogrifian Torture," Skylar looked at him incredulously.

"Did he make that up?" She whispered, earning a snort from Harry and Ron.

"Encountered it myself once, in Ouagadougou. The full story is in my autobiography…" He trailed off as Dumbledore comforted the sullen janitor.

"She's not dead, Argus," He assured the man, "She's been petrified."

"Precisely!" Professor Lockhart jumped in, earning a heavy sigh from three of the four second years, "So unlucky I wasn't there. I know the countercurse that could have spared her…"

"Is there even a countercurse for petrification?" Skylar wondered aloud.

"As to how she's been petrified...I cannot say." Dumbledore sighed. Skylar could tell he was hiding something, but she knew he must have been doing it for a good reason. She could tell if people were lying, and that included the wise Professor Dumbledore.

"Ask him!" Filch spat, pointing an accusing finger at Harry, "It's him that's done it. You saw what he wrote on the wall! Besides, he knows I'm a - I'm a Squib." He stuttered.

"It's not true, sir!" Harry insisted, "I swear! I never touched Mrs. Norris - and I don't even know what a Squib is."

"A person, born to at least one magical parent, whom possesses no magic himself." Skylar whispered.

"Rubbish!" Filch kept glaring at Harry, "He saw my Kwikspell letter!"

"If I might, Headmaster…" Snape emerged from the shadows. Hermione, Ron, and Harry winced, bracing themselves for yet another false accusation. Skylar twirled her hair nervously, for she knew Snape was a good person through his tough exterior, even he couldn't block his aura from her, but she knew he wasn't a fan of Harry or his friends. "Perhaps Potter and his friends were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time…" The four of them stared at the Potions professor with skepticism, was he really defending them? "However, the circumstances are suspicious. I, for one, don't recall seeing Potter at dinner." Skylar stifled a giggle as she watched Snape try to hide the fact he helped Harry with a not-so-convincing accusation.

"I'm afraid that;s my doing, Severus," Gilderoy admitted, adjusting his golden locks, "You see, Harry was helping me answer my fan mail…" Snape curled his lip in disgust while Skylar stuck her finger in her mouth as though she was gagging herself from the disgusting concept.

"That's why Ron and I were looking for him, Professor. We'd just found him and Skylar when Harry said…" Hermione trailed off nervously.

"Yes, Miss Granger?" Snape raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

"When I said I wasn't hungry," Harry jumped in, "We were heading back to the Common Room and… found Mrs. Norris." Snape glared at him, and Skylar could tell that he knew they were lying. He didn't push it, though, and Dumbledore wrapped the issue up.

"Innocent until proven guilty." He declared.

"My cat has been petrified!" Filch wailed, "I deserve to see some sort of punishment!" Skylar shook her head incredulously. _Geez, does everyone have it out for Harry?_ She wondered.

"We will be able to cure her," Dumbledore once again comforted the sobbing man, "As I understand it, Madam Sprout has a handful of healthy, growing Mandrakes. Once they've matured, a potion will be made to revive Mrs. Norris. In the meantime, I advise caution." He looked at the four students, his eyes landing on Harry last. "To all."

* * *

It was the next day, and Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Skylar were sitting in their desks, an animal placed in front of each one. Scabbers sat in front of Ron, Celeste in front of Skylar, a random toad in front of Harry, and a mouse in front of Hermione.

"Today, we will be turning animals into water goblets." She tapped the bird in front of her with her wand, thrice, before it transfigured into a beautiful crystal goblet. "Alright, who would like to go first…" She scanned the sea of students, her gaze landing on the red-haired boy attempting to duck his head, "Mr. Weasley?" Ron tentatively tapped the brown rat, watching as it transformed into a deep brown goblet the color of Scabber's fur, along with a pink tail.

"You must replace that wand, Mr. Weasley." Professor McGonagall scolded him. Ron nodded sheepishly before looking at his wand with disdain. "Now, how about...Miss Wolf?" The redhead blushed as all eyes were on her. She tapped Celeste hesitantly, but she didn't need to worry. Her kitten was replaced with a sleek, black goblet, that appeared to be made of crystal like McGonagall's. A silver crescent moon marked the front, reflecting the mark on her forehead, along with silver gems dotting the top of the goblet. After McGonagall gave an approving nod, Skylar transfigured her goblet back into a cat, who seemed to have been asleep throughout the whole ordeal. The other students began trying their luck on the assignment, except for Hermione, who was raising her hand in the air with a determined look on her face. McGonagall called on the brunette.

"Professor, I was wondering if you could tell us about the Chamber of Secrets." The classroom fell quiet. Harry and Ron were gaping at their friend, while Skylar's face had turned an even paler shade.

"My subject is Transfiguration, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall responded, seemingly unaffected.

"Yes, Professor," Hermione replied, "But there seems to be very little written about the Chamber of Secrets. For those of us with a personal interest in the subject, that is… disturbing." McGonagall simply met the girl's eyes before speaking.

"Very well," She gave in, "You all know, of course, that Hogwarts was founded over a thousand years by the four greatest witches and wizards of the age: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, and Salazar Slytherin." She went on to explain that Salazar Slytherin had isolated himself from the other founders due to his selectiveness: he thought only purebloods should learn magic, and so, he left the school. There was a myth that he had built a hidden chamber in the castle, sealing it before he left, so that only his true heir could reopen it. Something evil was contained in the chamber, and once it was released, it would attack those unworthy to study magic.

"Muggle-borns." Hermione let out a shaky breath. At that point, Skylar just wanted to go over and give her friend a big hug.

"Yes," McGonagall confirmed, "The school has been searched many times for such a chamber, but one has not been found." A lot of students seemed pleased with the answer, but not Skylar. She believed the chamber would only be made visible once the heir opened it. According to her theory, they wouldn't know where the chamber was until it was too late.

"Professor, what exactly lies within the chamber, according to the legend?" Hermione asked.

"The chamber is said to be home to something which the heir of Slytherin alone can control. It is said to be home… to a monster." Skylar shivered as Professor McGonagall finished her explanation, and she felt the overwhelming urge to turn. She obeyed her instincts and turned to see exactly what Ron was seeing, and it disgusted her. Draco Malfoy was sitting there, smug as always, with a sick smile on his face.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Again, thanks for being patient, loves! :3 I hope you all are enjoying the story so far, even though it's terribly cliché! Then again, everything I write is! Please review! Kisses! :D

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing besides my OC (Skylar Wolf) - all else belongs to the amazing J.K. Rowling and respective owners

Word Count: 2,336

* * *

"Do you think it's true?" Ron spoke to his friends as they made their way down the crowded corridor, "D'you think there really is a Chamber of Secrets?"

"Yes," Hermione answered solemnly, "Couldn't you tell: McGonagall's worried. All the teachers are."

"And they should be," Skylar added, "All they know about what's inside the chamber is that it's very dangerous."

"But if there really is a Chamber of Secrets, and it's really been opened, that means…" Harry trailed off.

"The Heir of Slytherin has returned to Hogwarts." Hermione finished.

"The question is, who is it?" Skylar wondered.

"Hmmm…" Ron started with a mocking tone, "Who do we know who thinks Muggle-borns are scum?"

"You mean-" Hermione eyed the blonde in front of them.

"Of course!" Ron exclaimed, "You heard him: 'You'll be next, Mudbloods!' "

"I heard him. But Malfoy? Heir of Slytherin?"

"Maybe Ron's right, Hermione," Harry admitted, "I mean, look at his family. The whole lot of them have been in Slytherin for centuries."

"Maybe so," Skylar responded, "But if he was the Heir, everyone would know by know. He'd be bragging to _everyone._ I mean, he's not exactly humble."

"Either way, Crabbe and Goyle must know," Ron said, "We could trick them into telling us…"

"No." Hermione stopped him, "Even _they_ aren't that thick. But there might be another way," She paused, "Mind you, it would be difficult. Not to mention we'd be breaking about fifty school rules. And it would be dangerous. Very dangerous." Ron had a wicked smile on his face that reminded Skylar of the twins.

"Where do we start?"

* * *

Hermione pulled out a large, leather book, the cover covered in dust. The four friends huddled around the book titled; Moste Potente Potions. The brunette flipped through the yellowed pages until she reached a particularly strange image that appeared to be one person morphing into another.

"Here it is: 'The Polyjuice Potion.' " Hermione began to read as Skylar gasped aloud.

"I've read about that!" She realized, "That potion allows the drinker to transform temporarily into the person they've taken DNA from." Ron and Harry looked grossed out until she added, "It could be something small, like a fingernail or a hair."

"You mean to say," Ron looked at the girls, "Harry and I drink some of this stuff and we turn into Crabbe and Goyle."

"Yes." Hermione nodded firmly.

"Wicked! Malfoy'll tell us anything!"

"Exactly. But it's tricky. I've never seen a more complicated potion. Lacewing flies, leeches, fluxweed. And, of course, a bit of whoever we want to change into." Hermione finished.

"Plus, it takes a month to brew." Skylar added.

"A month?" Harry gaped at her, "But if Malfoy is the heir of Slytherin… he could attack half the Muggle-borns in the school by then."

"You didn't have to tell me that." Hermione said with a serious tone.

* * *

Harry, Ron, and Hermione cheered from the crowd of red and gold, the opposing team showing off their house colors of silver and green. The game is somewhat of a disappointment: since the Slytherins all got new brooms, they flew much faster than the others, although the Gryffindor Quidditch players weren't bad even if they were a bit slower.

"Gallopin' Gorgons!" Hagrid gasped from beside the trio, "Slytherin's flyin' like they dragon fire in their brooms…" Ron fumed, glaring at Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape, sitting side by side in the Faculty Box. Skylar flew up overhead, circling the pitch and keeping an eye out for the golden ball. This game was definitely pushing her. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail, her gold and red Quidditch robes flying around her just like her hair.

"Alright there, Wolf?" Draco smirked at the redhead, "You look like you use some company."

"Sod off, Malfoy." She hissed, searching the sky.

"Skylar! Watch out!" George screamed, just in time for Skylar to dodge the streaking Bludger by a hair. George flew over to hit the Bludger back into the air with a crack resounding from his bat. As soon as the Bludger flew into the air, it came back down, still chasing Skylar. She zoomed off on her Nimbus Two Thousand, desperately trying to outfly the persistent Bludger.

"What the hell is going on?" She yelled.

"Blimey, Skylar's got 'erself a Rogue Bludger!" Hagrid exclaimed.

"What's a Rogue Bludger?" Harry inquired.

"It's bin' tampered with!" Hagrid replied simply. Sure enough, the leather ball chased Skylar through a series of loops, zig zags, and rolls. No matter what maneuvers she used, she couldn't shake the Bludger off her trail. It was targeting her. Ron instinctively drew his wand, pointing it at the Bludger.

"You're joking, right?" Hermione eyed the broken wand warily, "Besides, even with a proper wand, it's too risky. You could accidentally hit Skylar." Draco flew alongside Skylar, watching the redhead with amusement.

"What's wrong sweetheart? Is the pressure too much?" He teased. Skylar's eyes hardened as she spotted the Snitch whizzing beside Draco's left ear. She charged towards him, chasing the Snitch with determination. Malfoy, momentarily thrown off by Skylar's intimidating action, chased her as they plummeted, their brooms nearly vertical. They both pulled up, their brooms parallel to the ground, weaving through the beams beneath the stands. The Bludger continued to follow the redhead, smashing small beams in its way. Malfoy reached out to kick the Gryffindor's broom, causing her to momentarily slam into the stands with her right shoulder. She growled at the blonde and sped up after the Snitch. Malfoy laughed as she tried to catch up to him, but as he turned back around, he noticed the beam in front of him. Before he could pull up, he smacked into the wooden pillar, falling onto the pitch with his broom. Skylar managed to chase the Snitch pack onto the Quidditch pitch, reaching out for the golden ball. Her fingertips had barely grazed its wings when the dreaded Bludger smashed into her right arm.

Skylar cried out in pain, but determined to beat the Slytherins, steadied herself and continued to chase the Snitch. She managed to grab the Snitch with her good hand before spiraling down, falling onto the grass in the middle of the pitch, landing on her injured arm with a sickening crunch. She winced, attempting to roll over and sit up. Her blue eyes widened in fear as she noticed the Bludger coming down towards her. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact… but nothing happened. Skylar opened her eyes to see the Bludger suspended in the air. She searched the crowds, finding Hermione with her wand out. The brunette winked at her, while Ron and Harry looked down at her with worry. A swarm of people surrounded the fallen Seeker, their faces a blur through the pain.

"Not to worry, my dear," She heard a familiar voice, "I'll fix that arm of yours straight away." She could barely make out golden hair and a white smile and she cringed, but not from the pain.

"Please, no...not...you…" She pleaded between wincing.

"Poor girl doesn't know what she's saying." He laughed before facing the redhead, "Now, don't worry. This won't hurt a bit…" He twirled his wand and the pain in Skylar's arm grew ten times worse. She let out a shriek, piercing the silence, as her arm burned as if someone had set it on fire. She heard the muffled voices of her three best friends before she lost consciousness, and everything went black.

* * *

Skylar slowly blinked her eyes open to see sunlight streaming in through large windows with white curtains. The bed she was on wasn't stiff, but it wasn't quite soft. She realized she was in the Hospital Wing. Hermione, Harry, and Ron sat beside her on the edge of the bed, Hermione holding her good hand. Skylar squeezed the brunette's hand and smiled weakly up at them.

"Oh! Madam Pomfrey, she's awake!" The nurse examined the redhead before scolding her.

"You gave us quite the scare, young lady!" She wagged a finger, "You shouldn't have pushed yourself!"

"But-" Skylar started, ready to defend herself.

"Oh, he should have brought you straight to me! What was he thinking? He's no medi-witch!" Madam Pomfrey complained.

"Wait, what happened?" Skylar looked up at the familiar faces.

"Don't you remember?" Ron asked her.

"I remember my arm hurting before I passed out…"

"Oh dear." Madam Pomfrey sighed. "That Professor Lockhart, he attempted to use a spell to heal your broken bones, but he must have gotten it mixed up."

"How- how did that happen?"

"He must have been trying to use Episkey, but that's only used for minor injuries," Madam Pomfrey explained, "But I think he used Erecto, causing your broken bone to grow, breaking through the skin." Skylar winced at the gory image in her head. She looked over to see her arm bandaged up in cloth. "Luckily, you're a tough one, otherwise we'd have to send you to St. Mungo's!" Madam Pomfrey chuckled.

"So, will I be able to go soon?" Skylar looked up at the nurse nervously.

"Oh, in a few days or so," She responded, sighing when she noticed the redhead's disappointment, "It takes about a day to heal, if you can stand to be in here that long." Skylar nodded vigorously, red strands of hair escaping from her messy ponytail.

"Thank you! Thank you!" She attempted to hug the woman, wincing as she lifted her injured arm.

"Alright, that's enough!" Madam Pomfrey scolded her, "Lie down, get some rest! That bone won't heal with you moving all about like that!" Skylar smiled guiltily before laying back down. It was later in the night when she awoke, and she could hear two voices beside her. One was definitely Harry's, while the other was more high-pitched and squeaky. She was still half asleep, so she only managed to pick out snippets of their heated conversation.

"It was you! You stopped the barrier from letting ron and me through!" Harry hissed. Well, that explained their tardiness and dramatic entrance.

"At least you would be away from you. Harry Potter must go home! Dobby thought his Bludger would be enough to make Harry Potter see-" That must have been "Dobby". As far as Skylar knew, only house elves spoke like that, especially with referring to themselves in the third person. Well, another mystery solved. The elf had enchanted the Bludger to chase her- but wait. Why her?

"Why did you make the Bludger go after Skylar?" Harry hissed, voicing Skylar's thoughts.

"You see, Dobby might have gotten a bit mixed up. He thought Harry Potter was the Seeker, not the girl."

"We're both Seekers!"

"Oh, yes, Dobby understands now. But you see, when Dobby realized Harry Potter was not the girl, he thought he should still try his plan. You see, Dobby thought maybe Harry Potter would leave if his friend was injured."

"You'd better clear off before my friend wakes up, Dobby, or I might strangle you!" A tiny smile graced Skylar's lips as she listened to Harry getting angry over her injury. The rest of their conversation was a blur, and neither one had noticed Skylar had been awake. Before she completely drifted off to sleep, she heard something that caught her attention.

"Terrible things are about to happen at Hogwarts! Harry Potter must not stay here now that history is to repeat itself!"

* * *

It was morning when Skylar heard another familiar voice. This time, it was none other than the headmaster himself, Professor Dumbledore.

"There's been another attack." Skylar's eyes shot open as Madam Pomfrey let out a strangled gasp, turning to see the first year, Colin Creevey, frozen on a hospital bed.

"Perhaps he managed to get a picture of his attacker…" Professor McGonagall suggested from beside the silver-bearded wizard. Dumbledore attempted to open the camera, but a jet of smoke was released instead of any photos. "What does this mean, Albus?" Skylar chewed on her bottom lip nervously: she had never seen Professor McGonagall this worried and this unsure before. This was very serious.

"It means our students are in great danger, Minerva." Dumbledore replied somberly, "Mr. Creevey was fortunate. If not for this…" He held up the broken camera in his wrinkled hands, "He would surely be dead."

"What should I tell the staff, Albus?"

"Tell them the truth. Tell them Hogwarts is no longer safe. Tell them it's as we feared. The Chamber of Secrets is indeed open again."

* * *

Skylar had rushed to get dressed in her school robes, dragging her friends into the girl's bathroom to tell them the horrible new developments, along with attempting to speed up the process of the Polyjuice Potion brewing.

"Again? You mean, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened before?" Hermione looked at the redhead in shock. The only one of the four who didn't look shocked was Ron.

"Of course!" He cried, "Don't you see? Lucius Malfoy must've opened it when he was at school here, and now he's told Draco how to do it."

"It wasn't Lucius who opened the Chamber of Secrets." Skylar murmured to the ground.

"What was that?" Harry nudged her.

"I said, it wasn't Lucius who opened the Chamber. And Malfoy isn't the heir. If you don't believe me, just ask Moaning Myrtle."

"Who?" Ron asked.

"Me," A ghost of a young Ravenclaw with her brown hair in pigtails and circular spectacles floated out in front of the young Gryffindors, "I'm Moaning Myrtle. I wouldn't expect you to know me. Who would ever talk about fat, ugly, miserable, moping, moaning Myrtle?" She sobbed before diving head first into a toilet.

"She was a student back in 1943 when the Chamber was first opened. If anyone knows about it, she would." Skylar whispered.

"How do you know all that?" Ron gaped at her.

"I do my research." Skylar responded simply before taking her things and walking to her first class, leaving her friends behind amidst the smoke from the bubbling cauldron.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Thanks for being patient with me! (Although, I did warn y'all) I hope you are enjoying the cheesy, cliché excuse of a fanfic so far! Please review! It means a lot to me! Enjoy, loves! ;)

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my OC, Skylar Wolf, all else belongs to J.K. Rowling and other respective owners. :)

Word Count: 2,053

* * *

"Gather round! Gather round!" The blonde Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher yelled, "Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent. In light of the dark events of recent weeks, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little Dueling Club, to train you all up in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions - for full details, see my published works." Skylar rolled her eyes in disdain.

"Was this just an excuse for yet another self promotion?" She muttered, earning snorts and chuckles from her two male companions.

"That Lockhart's something, isn't he?" A brunette Hufflepuff commented.

"Oh, he's something alright." Skylar murmured.

"Awfully brave chap," The boy continued, obviously not hearing Skylar's snarky remarks, "Justin Finch-Fletchley. Hufflepuff." As if it wasn't obvious by the black and yellow crest on his robes. He held out his hand to Harry, mostly ignoring the other three.

"Nice to meet you," Harry shook Justin's hand, "I'm-"

"I know who you are," Justin interrupted, "We all do. Even us Muggle-borns." He grinned before turning back to watch the blonde professor.

"Let me introduce my _assistant_ , Professor Snape," Skylar stifled a giggle as she watched said professor glowering, "He has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration," She could tell by Snape's expression that he hadn't willingly agreed, "Now I don't want any of you youngsters to worry. You'll still have your Potions Master when I'm through with him, never fear!"

"What's the fun in that?" Ron nudged Skylar playfully, who giggled in turn.

"Hey, it's not Snape we should be worried about." She gave him a pointed look. "He actually knows what he's doing." Both of them laughed at that. They turned back to watch as the DADA professor and Potions professor bowed to each other, like one would a griffin, before turning and walking ten paces. "Have you noticed that wizarding duels are just like Western showdowns?" She nudged Harry and Hermione jokingly who nodded in agreement. The professors spun around in defensive stances, wands poised like swords.

"As you can see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position."

"Way to take the fun out of it." Ron rolled his eyes.

"On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course." Gilderoy Lockhart explained reassuringly.

"I wouldn't bet on that." Harry muttered, eyeing Snape suspiciously.

"One...two...three-" Before he could even raise his wand, Snape shouted,

"Expelliarmus!" A jet of scarlet light hitting Lockhart straight in the chest and sending him flying backwards into the wall, his wand flying out of his outstretched hand.

"Do you think he's alright?" Hermione regarded the fallen professor with worry.

"Who cares?" Harry and Ron chimed. Skylar was doubled over with laughter, arms clutching her stomach as she let it all out.

"Well there you have it," Professor Lockhart rose from his crumpled position, one hand attempting to fix his perfect hairstyle, "That was a Disarming Charm. As you see, I've lost my wand." Hermione scurried over to the discarded wand, picking it up and returning it to its owner. "Ah, thank you, Miss Granger. Yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don't mind my saying so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy…"

"Perhaps it would be prudent to first teach the students to block unfriendly spells, Professor." Snape interrupted Lockhart's attempt to redeem himself.

"An excellent suggestion, Professor Snape. Let's have a volunteer pair," Gilderoy scanned the sea of students before his gaze landed on his favorite child celebrity, "Potter, Weasley, how about you?"

"Weasley's wand causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending Potter to the hospital wing in a matchbox. Might I suggest someone from my own house. Malfoy, perhaps." Said blonde Slytherin stepped up to face Harry, both students glaring at each other with hatred. They grudgingly bowed to each other, mimicking their professors.

"Scared, Potter?" The blonde sneered.

"You wish." Harry retorted. They turned their backs on each other before walking ten paces and whirling around, wands poised.

"Wands at the ready!" Lockhart announced, "When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponent - only to disarm. We don't want any accidents," Skylar had a feeling that comment was directed towards a certain Slytherin, "One...two…" Before Professor Lockhart could finish his countdown, Malfoy attacked Harry, a bright white light shooting from the tip of his wand. Harry retaliated, quickly recovering from the blow.

"Rictumsempra!" He shouted, sending a silver burst of light into Draco's stomach. The blonde Slytherin sank to his knees, nearly unmoving. Skylar found it quite odd that Harry had used a Tickling Charm in their duel, especially considering their goal was only to disarm. She supposed it was only natural that this spell popped into his mind right off the bat since they had only learned it that year. While Skylar found Harry's tactics...interesting to say the least, they appeared quite effective. Although it was due to laughing, Draco was practically immobilized.

"I said disarm only!" Gilderoy Lockhart called out. Skylar had a feeling his tone would be a lot less friendly had it been directed towards Draco.

"Serpensortia!" Draco managed to cough out. The tip of his wand exploded into smoke, releasing a long, black snake. Skylar noticed Snape smiling out of the corner of her eye. Skylar wasn't unimpressed, Transfiguration spells were difficult to manage, especially summoning spells like that one. The only use of the spell she'd ever heard of was for "Snake Charmers" to appear successful in front of unwitting Muggles.

"Don't move, Potter," Snape sneered, "I'll get rid of it for you."

"Allow me!" Gilderoy Lockhart intercepted with a flourish of his wand, the movement sending the serpent into the air. This only angered the snake more, which hissed angrily, slithering towards Justin Finch-Fletchley with its head in the air and fangs bared.

" _Leave him!_ " Harry commanded the snake in Parseltongue. Skylar began wringing her fingers together nervously. She could understand everything he was saying, but to the other students, it probably didn't look too good. The snake made eye contact with Harry for a moment before turning back to the Hufflepuff. " _LEAVE HIM!"_ Harry demanded. The snake stared once more at the boy before falling limp to the floor, no longer in attack mode. Harry walked up to the frightened Hufflepuff and offered him a hand up.

"Wh-What are you playing at?" Justin asked shakily before backing away from the Gryffindor. Harry looked around to see a variety of faces, all sharing the same expression: fear. While Malfoy looked shocked, Seamus and Neville looked completely freaked out. The only ones unaffected were Snape and Skylar. Out of the corner of her eye, Skylar could see a flash of red as Ginny bolted out of the room. What had she been doing there? She wasn't a second year… Skylar shrugged it off and turned back to Harry. Ron had latched onto his arm and dragged him out of the classroom, Hermione and Skylar following closely behind.

* * *

"You're a Parselmouth!" Ron practically shouted as the four friends entered the Common Room, "Why didn't you tell us?"

"I'm a what?" Skylar couldn't help but giggle at her friend's perplexed expression.

"You can talk to snakes." Hermione sighed. She hadn't even bothered to give the book definition before dumbing it down for the boys.

"I know," Harry recovered, "I mean, I accidentally set a python on my cousin Dudley at the zoo once. But so what? I bet loads of people here can do it."

"No, they can't. It's not a very common gift, Harry," Hermione explained, "This is bad."

"Why? Skylar knows Parseltongue." Skylar blushed fiercely as Hermione and Ron turned to gape at her.

"Way to put me on the spot, Harry." She murmured.

"Maybe so," Hermione turned back to Harry, "But she didn't reveal it in front of the entire class. To everyone else, who _don't_ understand Parseltongue, it looked like you were egging the snake on or something."

"It was creepy." Ron agreed. They attempted to ignore the glares of the other second years as they streamed into the Gryffindor Common Room. Harry looked hurt when Seamus, Neville, and Dean completely ignored him.

"Harry, listen to me," Hermione snapped him out of his daze, "There's a reason the symbol of the Slytherin house is a serpent. Salazar Slytherin was a Parselmouth."

"That means he could communicate with snakes as well." Skylar elaborated.

"Exactly," Ron crossed his arms over his chest, "And now the whole school's going to think you're his great-great-great grandson or something."

"But I'm not!" Harry protested, "I… I can't be."

"He lived a thousand years ago. For all we know… you could be."

* * *

It had been a few days since the… incident… and there had been another attack. Both Justin Finch-Fletchley and Nearly Headless Nick had been paralyzed. Students had begun to ignore Harry, but his closest friends had stuck by his side, loyal as Hufflepuffs.

"Make way for the Heir of Slytherin!" Fred announced, walking alongside Harry as many students began leaving for the holidays. "Seriously evil wizard coming through!" Fred mimed pushing people out of the way, a chuckling Ron following in his wake. Harry looked crestfallen as the other students stared at them.

"Oh, c'mon, Harry," Ron playfully nudged his best friend, "Fred's just having a laugh."

"He's the only one." Harry said sadly. Skylar gave him a sad smile to show her sympathy. She knew exactly what Fred was doing: he was attempting to ease the tension by making the accusations into a joke so that no one would take them seriously. He was just being a good friend.

"Okay, so half the school thinks you're nipping off to the Chamber of Secrets every night," Ron rolled his eyes, "Who cares?"

"Maybe they're right." Harry replied sullenly.

"Harry!" Hermione scolded him reproachfully.

"I didn't know I could speak Parseltongue," Harry responded with obvious frustration, "What else don't I know about myself? Maybe you can do something… even something horrible… and not know you do it."

"Like, if you were under the Imperius curse…" Skylar murmured to herself, eyes narrowed in concentration.

"You don't believe that, Harry, I know you don't," Hermione insisted, "And if it makes you feel better, I just heard Malfoy's staying over for holiday, too."

"Why would that make anyone feel better?" Ron snorted.

"Because, in a few days the Polyjuice Potions will be ready." Skylar explained.

"In a few days… we may truly know who is the Heir of Slytherin." Hermione finished.

* * *

"Oy, 'Mione!" Skylar called, running over to the Gryffindor table with a parcel in her hands. Snowflakes rained down from the ceiling, candles suspended by magic, lighting up the enchanted night sky. Red, green, and gold decorated the Great Hall for the Christmas Feast. Skylar even swore she spotted a sprig of mistletoe.

"What's that?" Ron peered over the table as Skylar unwrapped the brown paper.

"I baked some cakes-" She stopped to slap the redhead's outstretched arm, "Not for you, dolt!" She shook her head and giggled, "We're going to fill these guys with some Sleeping Draught and use them on Crabbe and Goyle so that they'll be out of the way while you guys interrogate Malfoy."

"I thought you weren't on board with this…" Hermione trailed off.

"Eh, I realized it was just like a prank," Skylar explained, "And I _love_ pranks!"

"I think the twins are rubbing off on you." Ron groaned dramatically, earning a giggle from the redhead girl.

"Now, once Crabbe and Goyle are asleep, you two," Hermione pointed at the boys, "hide them in a broom cupboard and pull out a few of their hairs."

"What about you?" Harry asked the brunette.

"I've already got one," Hermione held up a small vial containing a single brown strand, "Pulled it off of Millicent Bulstrode robes."

"I think we girls should stay out of it," Skylar suggested, "I've got a bad feeling about this."

"What could go wrong?" Ron asked. Skylar raised a brow skeptically.

"Are you really going to ask that?"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Welcome back! I hope you are enjoying this so far, please review either way. I appreciate any feedback I can get. I apologize, somewhat in advance, for the OPness of my OC. Let me explain, I made her practically a shyer version of Hermione, so she's hella smart. I'm just compensating for my own stupidity! XD But seriously, I apologize. I make sure not to change the storyline too drastically, just tie in her revelations with events in the HP series. Good reading, loves! :))

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing except my OC, Skylar Wolf, all credit goes to the amazing J.K. Rowling! :)

Word Count: 2,317

* * *

Hermione slipped on her pair of oversized Slytherin robes, offering another pair to Skylar, who refused. Harry and Ron came into the bathroom, tufts of hair in each of their closed fists. Hermione gave them the robes she sneaked out of the laundry.

"I'm sure I've done everything right. It looks like the book said it should," Hermione pointed to the cauldron, which resembled bubbling mud, "Once we've drunk it, we'll have exactly one hour before we change back into ourselves."

"Now what?" Ron glanced at the potion warily.

"We separate it into three glasses and add the hairs." As Hermione, Ron, and Harry dropped the hairs into the potion, each glass turned from murky brown to another disgusting color. Ron's potion became a murky yellow color, Harry's resembled light dirt, and Hermione's became the color of khakis.

"Ugh," Ron looked at his potion in disgust, "Essence of Crabbe…" He swallowed the potion quickly, doubling over right afterwards. "I think I'm gonna be sick…" He ran into the nearest stall and bent over, his features morphing and growing. When he re-emerged, he was the spitting image of Crabbe. Harry downed his glass of Polyjuice Potion, reacting in a similar manner before transforming into Goyle.

"Hermione, what's going on?" Skylar examined the brunette's worried expression before she dropped the empty glass and hid herself in a stall. "Hermione?" Skylar knocked on the stall door. Harry and Ron were too busy staring at each other.

"Harry?" Ron's voice emitted from Crabbe's body.

"Ron?" Harry's voice emitted from Goyle's body.

"Bloody hell." Ron gaped at Harry's new form

"We still sound like ourselves," Harry realized, "You need to sound more like Crabbe.

"Bloody hell." Ron went an octave lower.

"Lower."

"Bloody hell." Another octave.

"Less intelligent."

"Bloody hell." Ron said dumbly.

"Excellent."

"Hey…" Ron looked to Skylar, "Where's Hermione?"

"She doesn't feel well, you should go on without her." The redhead insisted.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Harry asked with Goyle's voice.

"Just go!" Hermione shouted from the stall, "You're wasting time!" The boys heeded the brunette's instructions, running out of the bathroom in a hurry.

"Alright, they're gone," Skylar spoke to Hermione through the crack in the stalls, "Come on out." Hermione obliged, her head hanging down in shame. "Oh, dear…" Skylar examined Hermione's new form with worry. Tufts of brown fur had sprouted along her arms and face, along with whiskers. Two cat ears sprouted from her bushy, brown hair, and her nose had morphed into that of a cat. Her eyes had become green and slitted, like a cat, and grown significantly larger. She even had a fluffy tail.

"I-It must have been a cat hair…" Hermione hiccupped through tears. Skylar pulled the brunette into her chest and hugged her tightly.

"Don't worry, we'll get it fixed." Skylar assured her as they hugged. "In the meantime…" Skylar stepped back and waved her wand. Two black cat ears protruded from her head, along with a matching tail. "You won't be alone." She smiled. Hermione smiled back, still teary-eyed, and hugged the redhead. The two girls were busy talking and cheering each other up when the boys re-entered the bathroom.

"What-" Skylar held up a hand to stop Ron.

"Don't ask." She chuckled, Hermione joined in, a few stray tears streaming down her fur-covered cheeks.

* * *

Skylar sat beside her best friend in the hospital wing, both reading from a stack of library books. Harry and Ron entered the hospital wing with armloads of books, gaping at the book-covered bed where the girls were sitting.

"Oh, good," Hermione looked up as the boys walked up, "Put those anywhere." She returned to her book, leaving the boys perplexed and astounded. Finding no free space, they simply placed the stacks of books on the floor at the foot of the bed.

"Madam Pince asked that we relay a message to you, Hermione: She'd appreciate it if you'd leave a few books for the rest of the school." Ron told the brunette. Skylar and Harry giggled off to the side.

"I've got to keep up, haven't I?" Hermione responded sassily, her brown tail flicking back and forth. Ron eyed the furry appendage warily.

"Is that thing ever going away?"

"Any day now, according to Madam Pomfrey." Skylar responded, her own black tail twitching.

"I'm just thankful I've stopped coughing up fur balls." Hermione grumbled.

"We all are, believe me." Ron chuckled.

"Now, Chamber of Secrets… any new leads?"

"Nothing." Harry sighed.

"Has it gotten any better? I mean… is anyone speaking to you?"

"Neville asked to borrow a tubeworm in Potions yesterday. I suppose that's something." Harry gave a small smile. Ron dug under Hermione's pillow, pulling out a Get-Well card.

" 'To Miss Granger', " He read, " 'Wishing you speedy recovery, from your concerned teacher Gilderoy Lockhart'," Ron gaped at her, "You sleep with this under your pillow?"

"Of course not!" Hermione blushed, "I have no idea how that got there. Now go, I still have six hundred pages to read in Transformation Through the Ages." Skylar rolled her eyes.

"I offered to give you my notes, 'Mione." She pestered the brunette bookworm.

"I know, and I politely declined," Hermione stuck her nose back into the book, "I'll do my own work, thank you very much." Skylar just laughed.

"Fine. I suppose this means I have to go babysit the boys, then?"

"Of course!" Hermione giggled, "Who knows what sort of trouble they'll get themselves into?"

* * *

"I know Hermione's mental," Ron started as Skylar caught up to the boys on the stairs, "but can you believe she falls for that smarmy nonsense of Lockhart's?"

"Oh, leave her be!" Skylar swatted him, "She'll figure out that he's a fraud so enough." Her eyes widened as she looked at the boys, "Don't tell her I said that, she'd kill me!" Harry and Ron laughed at the redhead's comments. They stop on the staircase for a moment to see the girls' bathroom flooding out into the hallway, Moaning Myrtle moaning from inside.

"Looks like Myrtle's flooded the bathroom." Harry sighed, the three friends wading through the water.

"Come to throw something else at me?" Myrtle sobbed as the three entered the bathroom.

"Why would I throw something at you?" Harry asked, confused, Ron and Skylar shrugging at him.

"Don't ask me. Here I am, minding my own business, and someone thinks it's funny to throw a book at me…"

"But it can't hurt if someone throws something at you," Ron started, "I mean, it'd just go right through you, wouldn't it?" Skylar sighed and facepalmed at Ron's rude behaviour.

"Oh, sure!" Myrtle cackled, "Let's all throw books at Myrtle, because she can't feel it! Ten points if you can get it through her stomach. Fifty points if it goes through her head!"

"Who threw it at you?" Skylar asked the ghost gently.

"I don't know," Myrtle sighed, "I didn't see them. I was just sitting in the U-bend, thinking about death, and it fell through the top of my head." Harry spotted the discarded book and picked it up.

"Fifty points if you can get it through her nose." Ron snickered.

"I heard that!" Myrtle screeched, Ron and Harry scrambling out of the bathroom.

"I apologized for them, Myrtle." Skylar said before taking off after the boys.

* * *

"This is a diary," Harry examined the small, black book as they walked down the corridor that night, "And it's old."

"It's a diary, it's old, and it was most recently in a toilet, Harry." Ron snorted.

"Perhaps it's from back when the Chamber was first opened." Skylar murmured. Harry began to open the book, stopping when Ron grabbed his hand.

"Are you mad?" He glared at Harry, "That could be cursed. Dad once told me about a book the Ministry confisticated that burned the eyes out of anyone who tried to read it."

"I'll take my chances…" Harry opened the book before yelling, "Ahh! My eyes! My eyes!" He chuckled at Ron's terrified expression, Skylar rolling her eyes with a smile. Across the hall, Ginny stared at Harry and the diary, her eyes widening in terror, before she ran off.

"Ginny!" Harry called, "I was only joking- brilliant," He sighed in defeat, "Even your sister thinks I'm the monster now." Ron frowned down at the diary as ink appeared on the pages, spelling out three words. "Tom Marvolo Riddle."

"Hang on, I know that name," Ron gasped, "The night I had detention… I had to polish silver in the trophy room. I remember because I kept burping slugs all over Tom Riddle's trophy. I must have wiped slime off his name for an hour." Harry fanned through the diary, revealing blank pages.

"That's odd. He never wrote in it." Harry frowned before shutting the diary. The boys walked off, leaving Skylar alone to her thoughts. The diary wasn't as it seemed, she knew that for a fact. She could feel a strong magical energy radiating from the book, even before Harry opened it. But that wasn't what bothered her. It made sense that Ron recognized the name from a trophy, but if Skylar had never seen it, why did the name sound so familiar to her?

"Is this what Hermione felt like when she couldn't remember who Nicolas Flamel was?" Skylar pondered to herself.

* * *

Skylar stopped by the hospital wing after her class, intent on speaking to Hermione about her concerns. Once she got there, she saw Harry and Hermione discussing the diary and she decided to listen in. It wasn't bad if they were her friends, right?

"Tom Riddle was here, at Hogwarts, when it happened," She heard Hermione say, "What if he wrote about what he saw? It's possible he knew where the Chamber was, how to open it, even what sort of creature lives in it." That was enough for Skylar to hear, her aqua eyes widening in realization. She rushed back to the Gryffindor Common Room, sprinting up the stairs and pulling out a book from underneath her bed. She remembered researching the Chamber of Secrets, learning that it was opened in 1943, the same year Moaning Myrtle had died. She knew it was no coincidence that Myrtle was a Muggle-born. That was why she was targeted by the Heir, and the creature within the Chamber.

"Tom Riddle, who were you?" She tapped her quill against her chin in thought. "Hmm… I know Myrtle was a Ravenclaw… what about Riddle?" She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "Ugh, we're coming back to you, Riddle." She said to herself. "Now, what could that creature be?" She stared at the Slytherin crest in realization. "Of course! A serpent! But what...wait a minute. Serpent...Petrification...I need to confirm this." Skylar ran to the girl's bathroom. "Myrtle!" She called. "Myrtle, I need your help!"

"Oh, you do?" Myrtle purred, floating around the redhead.

"Yes. If you don't mind, I'd like to ask you about…"

"My death? Oh, I've been waiting for someone to ask!" Myrtle giggled excitedly.

"Oh, really?" Skylar looked relieved, "So I didn't offend you, then?"

"Nope! Not at all!" The ghost replied. "Well, it started when Olive Hornby was teasing me about my glasses," She adjusted said glasses before continuing, "So I ran in here to cry. When I was in the stall, I heard someone come in and start talking. It was a boy, I could tell. I opened the stall door to yell at them to get out and then…"

"You died." Skylar finished for her.

"I died." Myrtle repeated.

"Do you remember anything else…"

"Oh, an enormous pair of eyes. I didn't see who they belonged to though-"

"Oh, that's all I need to know, thanks Myrtle!" Skylar yelled before running off. She rushed back to her dorm, taking out her book of magical creatures. Making her way past the dragon section she had bookmarked, she landed on a picture of a gigantic basilisk. "Aha! I knew it!" She scanned the description.

 _Basilisks are known as the King of Serpents, born of a chicken's egg and hatched by a toad. They are green with large, yellow eyes, along with scarlet plumes if they are male. They have an average life span of 900 years, and can get up to 50 feet in length. The Basilisk's huge eyes are their tool of destruction, anyone who makes eye contact with this creature suffers instant death. It also possesses deadly, venomous fangs. One bite from a Basilisk, and the victim suffers a long, painful death. Basilisk breeding was banned back in the Medieval times due to its destructive nature. Basilisks are classified as XXXXX creatures; known wizard-killers that can't be domesticated. While that is the case, Parselmouths can place a Basilisk under his or her control if they form a bond with the creature._

"Alright, where is it… I know this is it…"

 _Spiders flee from the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy. The Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it._

"That's why the spiders were running away when Ms. Norris was petrified!" Skylar gasped, "And the Heir must have slaughtered all those roosters to keep the Basilisk safe!"

 _If a victim looks indirectly at the Basilisk's eyes, they will merely become petrified, similar to the Medusa stare. This also is the case when a victim looks through an object._

"Colin Creevy must have looked through his camera…" Skylar realized, "And Justin Finch-Fletchley through Nearly Headless Nick."

 _Basilisk skin is armored like that of a dragon's. Which deflects spells cast at it. The only animals immune to the deadly gaze of the basilisk are phoenixes, who possess healing tears._

Skylar slammed the book shut and slid it under her bed, along with the other. She lay down on her back and stared at the ceiling. "Oh, we are in for one hell of a year."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Thanks you all so much for tolerating my slow and random posts. I'm only sixteen, which is why my writing is so bad, and why I'm unable to post chapters more often. It's really the matter of writing them over posting. So, yep, school's got me busy! I'm not happy about it, but there isn't much I can do. I'm trying my best to get new chapters out, along with working on a few other stories for myself. I probably won't post those for a while. Anyway, thanks for dealing with all my crap, and I'd appreciate it if you left a review! Enjoy, loves! :))

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing besides my OC, Skylar Wolf, and the made-up animal companions. Everything else belongs to J.K. Rowling as well as respective owners. :)

Word Count: 2,588

* * *

"Hagrid opened the Chamber of Secrets! I swear it! I… I saw it!" Harry insisted to the recovered Hermione, Ron, and Skylar.

"It can't be Hagrid," Hermione shook her head in disbelief, "It just can't be."

"It isn't." Skylar reassured the brunette.

"But I saw-" Harry started.

"I don't know what you saw, Harry, but there's no way in Hell that Hagrid would ever do something like that." Skylar stormed off angrily. She re-entered the dorms in a huff, letting her guard down a bit when she saw Neville.

"Hullo, Skylar." He greeted her cheerfully. She waved shyly at the brunette.

"Hey, Neville. How are you?"

"I'm fine, er...but you look upset."

"Yeah…" Skylar scratched at the back of her neck, "Harry kind of said something that upset me…"

"Oh, I understand completely." Neville assured the redhead, making her chuckle as she remembered the events of the year before. They walked up the stairs to the dorms, separating to go to each dorm.

"Oh dear!" Skylar heard Neville cry. She ran into the boy's dorm and gasped at the sight in front of her. Harry's trunk was wide open along with the dresser drawers, and his clothing and possessions were strewn haphazardly across the bed and floor.

"Go get Harry." Skylar whispered. Neville ran out of the door, leaving Skylar to stare at the mess in dismay. She was a very neat person, and this… well it nearly gave her a heart attack.

"It had to be a Gryffindor." Hermione said after they had returned and examined the scene, "Nobody else knows our password. Unless, it wasn't a student…" Skylar began cleaning the room with her wand, pausing when she heard a noise within a pile of discarded clothing. She levitated the pile, leaving a black kitten on the floor.

"Celeste?" She exclaimed as the little, black cat padded over to her. "Have you been here the whole time?" She scooped up the feline who was busy rubbing against her leg. "Hmm, it had to be a student," Skylar decided, "They all know she likes to wander." She explained, scratching between Celeste's ears.

"Well, whoever it was, they were looking for something." Ron concluded.

"And they found it…" Harry responded as the mess was magically cleared away, leaving nothing behind, "Tom Riddle's diary is gone."

* * *

Harry pulled Skylar down the stairs, clad in his gold and red Quidditch robes. She wore hers too, even though she wasn't playing. Her outfit consisted of her Quidditch robes, a Quidditch shirt, jean shorts, her Gryffindor scarf, knee-high socks, gold-colored tennis shoes, gold star earrings, and the chain that held her parent's wedding rings and mother's engagement ring. Ron and Hermione followed closely behind the Seekers.

"Hey Ginny!" Ron called, startling his younger sister, "Are you going to the match?" She shook her head silently before walking off. "I tell you, she gets weirder and weirder by the day…" He nudged Harry.

" _Kill this time… Let me rip… Tear."_ Both Skylar and Harry froze, their friends staring at them oddly.

"No… don't tell me…" Ron trailed off as he noticed their fearful expressions.

"It must be Parseltongue…" Skylar muttered to herself.

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked, startling the redhead.

"Well, so far, only Harry and I can hear this voice," Skylar explained, "And we both happen to be Parselmouths. Plus, Salazar Slytherin...serpents...basilisk…" Skylar clapped a hand over her mouth as she uttered the last word.

"I-I think I've just understood something! I've got to go to the library!" Hermione glanced at Skylar before running up the stairs.

"No…" Skylar's eyes widened.

"What?" Both Harry and Ron looked at her. She shook her head.

"She's a Muggle-born, and she just discovered what the creature was, she's in danger…"

"What should we do?" Ron asked.

"Go, Harry needs to be at the game. I'll figure it out." The boys nodded and headed out, leaving Skylar to race to the library. She was too late. Hermione lay by the bookshelf, petrified, one hand outstretched. "Hermione!" She shouted. The librarian came over to shush her, but froze when she saw the petrified student.

"Oh, dear. Let me get Madam Pomfrey."

* * *

Skylar sat beside Hermione's bed in the hospital wing, hand clutching onto the brunette's stiff one. Madam Pomfrey leaned over to check Hermione's vitals.

"Hermione!" Skylar heard Ron yell, before the two boys raced over to the bed.

"I was too late." Skylar whispered, a stray tear escaping her eye.

"She was found near the library. Along with this." Professor McGonagall held up a small, circular mirror, "Does this mean anything to you?" Harry shook his head somberly before Skylar could say anything, allowing the Gryffindor head of house to leave. Another tear streaked down her cheek as she saw the book page clenched in her outstretched fist.

"Oh God…" Skylar rubbed at her already puffy eyes, "This is all my fault. If I had just said something...or gone with you…" She stared at the brunette sullenly before running off to the dorms.

* * *

At precisely 6:00 at night, Professor McGonagall, as the Gryffindor Head of House, came in to make an announcement to all the Gryffindor students. By this point, just about every student was afraid of what was to come, what with the increase in attacks and all. McGonagall unrolled a scrap of parchment, adjusted her cat-eye glasses, and began reading.

"All students will return to their house common rooms by six o'clock in the evenings," None of the students appeared surprised or upset - they were all too scared to protest against safety, "You will be escorted to each lesson by a teacher. No exceptions." McGonagall rolled up the scrap of parchment before tucking it in her signature, emerald green robes. She adjusted her glasses once more and addressed the Gryffindors, "I should tell you this. Unless the culprit is caught, it is likely that the school will be closed." She finished, a grim silence sweeping over the Common Room. As she left, the students erupted in cries of protest.

"Haven't any of the teachers noticed that the Slytherins are all safe?" Neville prompted, "Isn't it obvious all this stuff's coming from Slytherin? The Heir of Slytherin, the monster of Slytherin - why don't they just chuck all the Slytherins out?" Many students nodded and mumbled their agreements.

"They can't close Hogwarts," Seamus protested, "Where would we all go?" More whispers and nods of agreement ensued.

"I don't care what anyone says," Dean stated firmly, "As long as Dumbledore's here, Hogwarts will be here." His statement seemed to satisfy most of the students, for they quietly agreed and dispersed. From behind Neville, Skylar could see Harry and Ron whispering to each other, Ron's eyes widening in shock. She assumed they were planning to sneak out during the night, even though it was past curfew. She huffed indignantly before scurrying up the stairs to the dormitory. A storm cloud was brewing over her head as the redhead furrowed her manicured brows. Why did the boys always exclude her? It was just another repeat of primary school, before she'd come to Hogwarts. The girls would always exchange cruel whispers behind her back and the boys would constantly tug at her ponytail and push her to the floor.

The furrowed brow and angry frown soon transformed into watery eyes and a quivering lip as Skylar struggled to hold back her tears. Especially since Hermione was petrified, she'd felt even more alone. The redhead rummaged through a bag of her belongings before pulling out a small bag of razor blades. She proceeded to slice her inner arms and flat stomach until the burning sensation in both areas felt numb. Skylar returned the razor blades to their original hiding spot before curling up in a fetal position and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

When Skylar awoke, all the cuts had scabbed over with dried blood, and she no longer felt the numbing in her arms and stomach. Spotting the droplets of dried blood on her sheets, the redhead withdrew the dragon-based wand and used the Scouring Charm to remove all the stains from sight. Satisfied with her work, she pulled on the heather-grey sweater that Mrs. Weasley had knitted for her the summer before. The cyan "S" on the front was a bit frayed, but Skylar had clothing worse for wear than the comfy garment. It nearly fit her now, since she'd grown up a few inches. The sleeves still hung past her hands, although just barely, and the sweater was still generally loose around her skinny form. Christmas had already passed, back when they boys had used the Polyjuice Potions, and Mrs. Weasley had offered her another sweater. But Skylar had refused, insisting she couldn't let go of the old one, plus, she argued, it still fit.

It was well into May, nearly five months after Skylar's twelfth birthday. She hadn't told her friends when her birthday was, and they had assumed it was sometime over the summer, between school years. Today marked the 24th of May. Only four days ago Skylar had discovered a secret hidden deep within the Dark Forest. She had only gone out there to cure her boredom and guilt for Hermione's paralysis.

Flashback:

 _Skylar wandered through the forest, the end of her black cloak trailing along the dirt path, strewn leaves and pine needles attaching themselves to the cotton material. The darkness of the sky encased her completely, save for the small orb of light being given off from the tip of her wand. The tiny light trail led her forward, sneaker-covered feet trudging quietly through the woods. The redhead came across a small clearing surrounded by trees. Their foliage blocked out most of the starry, night sky. Skylar took a seat on a thick log, resting her wand on her lap. She lowered her hood, releasing her crimson curls. They tumbled over her shoulders and back, vibrant even in the darkness. She rested herself on her elbows, craning her head to stare at the stars above. A rumbling noise jolted her from her daze, and Skylar jumped to her feet._

 _She followed the rumbling noise until she came across a pile of discarded tree branches and dirt. She used her wand to levitate chunks of debris away, until a pale, blue paint was revealed._

" _Oh!" She gasped, clearing more of the rubble away, "It's the Ford Anglia!" The headlamps were flickering, the paint covered in scratches and dirt. The Ford Anglia grumbled, as if speaking to the girl. "It's almost as though...it's alive…" Skylar stared at the car before shaking her head and laughing. "As if! A living car! Sounds like something out of a fairytale!" She walked off, leaving the crumpled car behind. She had a feeling it would come to use sometime in the near future._

 _Another noise startled Skylar, although this one sounded more… alive. The sound was faint, a quiet whimper, almost. Skylar presumed it was a hurt animal, most likely a fox or a deer. She again followed the noise to its source. The first thing she noticed was the shining metal reflecting the moonlight, it's sharp, iron teeth clenching down on a thin leg. The thick, metal contraption resembled a bear trap. In fact, it might have been. Skylar wasn't exactly an expert at differentiating animal traps. The leg held by the trap was white, with a small hoof at the end. The creature that was trapped had three other spindly legs, besides the injured one, and slick, white fur with a mane to match. Skylar was surprised to see a horse in the forest, even more so when she spotted the small, twisted horn adorning the calf's head. It was a unicorn._

" _Oh dear!" Skylar gasped, her hands flying to her mouth. The unicorn continued whimpering, as if it hadn't even noticed the redhead. It must have, for she wasn't exactly quiet. "Don't move!" Skylar ordered the wild animal, ignoring the irony of her words. She bent down and got to work on dismantling the trap. After a few minutes of fiddling, the trap sprang open, releasing the injured animal. The young unicorn crumpled to the ground in a heap. The redhead ripped a bit of cloth from her cloak and tied it around the puncture wound in an attempt to stop the silver blood, which had already spilled all over the trap and the dirt floor. The infant struggled to stand on all fours, but managed, while putting hardly any pressure on its injured appendage._

" _Now, where is your mother?" Skylar wondered, looking around the pitch-black forest. The unicorn gently nudged her hand, and Skylar was surprised to watch in image appear in her head. She could see herself and Harry, along with a hooded figure lying over a dead unicorn. She remembered this - they had caught Voldemort/Professor Quirrell drinking unicorn blood at an attempt of immortality. From the perspective she was seeing, Skylar could only assume the memory was from the calf's eyes. The dead unicorn they had found must have been its mother._

" _Oh! Poor thing!" Skylar cooed, gently wrapping her arms around the unicorn's neck. When she pulled back from the embrace, she noticed the unicorn no longer seemed frightened. Perhaps it was because Skylar saved it from the trap, or perhaps it was simply her gentle personality. Either way, she couldn't deny that the silver gaze holding her own was full of kindness and admiration. She held out a hand to the unicorn, allowing it to collect her scent before relaxing into her palm. "Oh!" Skylar gasped as the unicorn began rubbing against her legs, not unlike a dog. She giggled and pet the unicorn. Tears of joy and excitement filled in her aqua eyes. "It's not everyday you get to pet a unicorn!" She said aloud, wiping away the glistening tears. She bent down and stared at the animal. "I need to go now." She told it, not expecting it to understand her in the least. The unicorn whinnied, as if it didn't want her to go. "Perhaps I'll come back tomorrow to visit." Skylar reassured the animal. "Oh! And I could bring Celeste!" The unicorn seemed to approve, for it rubbed its muzzle lovingly against the redhead's cheek. "Now, be careful, and rest that leg!" She put on a strict tone before turning around and running back to the dormitories._

End of Flashback

Skylar laughed to herself, remembering how she'd gone back the next day, with said companion. Her black kitten had chased the unicorn around, the two acting like best friends. They reminded her of dogs, with their playful manner and joyful air. Celeste had certainly taken a liking to the unicorn, and vice versa. Through a series of questions, Skylar had discovered that the unicorn was a female, which explained her close bond with the two. She had also presented the she-unicorn with a variety of names, who had snorted happily when she reached Luna. Luna and Celeste had become Skylar's distractions from reality, although she knew it wouldn't last for too long. Not with what was going on at Hogwarts, and certainly not if Harry and Ron had anything to say about it. She desperately wanted to help, to save the petrified students and rid of the monster - the Basilisk - but she didn't know how. She certainly wasn't brave, although she still would risk her life and safety for any of her friends.

She knew what she had to do.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** Sorry it's taken me so long to post, I hope you all understand I've been very busy dealing with school and other personal matters in my life. I will warn you, I can't promise this won't happen again. I will, however, try my best to post a new chapter at least once a week. I currently have none written so…it might be a little while before I can uphold that promise. Please read and review! Until next time, bye, loves!

 **Disclaimer:** I own nothing from the Harry Potter universe, besides my OC, Skylar Wolf

Word Count: 2,892

* * *

After slipping on the grey sweater, Skylar proceeded to sneak out of the dormitories and carried herself to the Hospital Wing. When she entered, it was almost midnight. Madam Pomfrey didn't seem to care, for the redhead visited her friend at least three times a day. She was silent as Skylar sat beside the petrified brunette and clasped her hand.

"So...uh...not much happened today...well...I went to see Luna again...she's getting less and less shy by the days…" Skylar attempted to force the oncoming tears back as she continued speaking to herself, "The boys are off on some wild adventure, again, I heard them sneaking out. Harry's going to get himself in trouble, even with that cloak." She shook her head, just like Hermione would. "Oh! I'm beginning to sound just like you," She giggled, squeezing her friend's hand tighter. "Anyway, I've decided it's time for me to do something. I need to be brave," She gnawed on her bottom lip, "I am in Gryffindor, after all." She sat there in silence, the darkness beginning to lull her into sleep, when the footsteps awakened her. She could barely make out Madam Pomfrey, speaking in a hushed voice to the visitors. Skylar sat up in her chair as the two visitors were revealed by the lamplight beside Hermione.

"Ron? Harry?" She looked at them in surprise.

"What, we aren't allowed to visit?" Ron replied snarkily, although Skylar knew it was all in good fun. He picked up the circular mirror and twirled it between his nimble fingers while glaring daggers at the Get Well card from Professor Lockhart. "You don't think-"

"No." Skylar stopped him, not even looking up from Hermione's frozen features.

"But you didn't even-"

"Lockhart is _not_ the Heir of Slytherin." She deadpanned, facing the Weasley with a bemused expression.

"Right," Ron hung his head sheepishly, "Forget I said it."

"Wish you were here, Hermione," Harry stared longingly at his friend, "We need you. Now more than ever…" His eyes widened as they swept across the bed, landing on the bit of paper clutched in her outstretched hand. He slipped it out, and tucked it in his robes, gesturing for his friends to follow.

* * *

Harry unfolded the crumpled paper, revealing a torn page from a library book.

"Wow," Ron raised his eyebrows, looking impressed, "Didn't think she had it in her." Skylar half-heartedly smacked his arm.

"Of the many fearsome beasts that roam our land, none is more deadly than the Basilisk," Harry read, "Capable of living for hundreds of years, instant death awaits any who meet this giant serpent's eye. Spiders flee before it and only the crowing of the rooster can kill it." Harry looked up from the paper and gaped at Skylar and Ron, "Guys, this is it! The monster in the Chamber of Secrets is a Basilisk. That's why I can hear it speak. It's a snake."

"But it kills by looking people in the eye," Ron relayed, "So, why is it that no one's dead?"

"Because no one looked it in the eye directly." Skylar murmured.

"Colin saw it through his camera," Harry started, Justin through Nearly Headless Nick. Nick got the full blast of it, but he's a ghost - he couldn't die again…" He trailed off in thought, "And Hermione had the mirror…"

"Guys, stop." Skylar interrupted. The two frantic boys looked up at her.

"Um, can it wait?" Harry asked, "This is kind of important."

"I know," Skylar sighed, "That's why I need to confess something." The boys looked at each other with worry before looking back at the redhead. "It's my fault Hermione was petrified. If it hadn't been for me, she wouldn't have even been in the library that night."

"What are you talking about?" Ron looked at her with confusion.

"I had discovered that the monster was the Basilisk, and I accidently let it slip while we were going to the Quidditch game…"

"So Hermione heard you and decided to investigate on her own." Harry finished. "But, why didn't you tell us about the Basilisk sooner?"

"I was going to, but then you two," Skylar pointed at Ron and Harry, "Kept sneaking out without me and refusing to tell me anything you did. I felt angry and left out, so I couldn't bring myself to confront you." Skylar covered her face with her hands and bent her head over, willing the tears to vanish. "I'm sorry, it's all my fault." Skylar cried silently into her hands, expecting the boys to shout at her or leave. To her surprise, they wrapped their arms around her and squeezed her in a tight embrace. "God, I'm being such a girl." Skylar laughed, flinging the tears of her hands. The boys chuckled nervously until she spoke again. "Enough of that, how is the Basilisk getting around?" The three regarded the book page with curiosity.

"Hermione answered that," Harry pointed out the word 'Pipes' scrawled hastily in Hermione's handwriting in the corner of the page.

"Pipes?" Ron grimaced, looking absolutely disgusted, "It's using the plumbing."

"Remember what Aragog said?" Harry looked to Ron, "About that girl fifty years ago? She died in a bathroom. What if she never left?"

"Moaning Myrtle!" Ron gasped. The two boys looked to Skylar for affirmation, who nodded her head solemnly. Before they could utter another word, Professor McGonagall's voice was projected throughout the school.

"All students are to return to their house dormitories at once. All teachers to the second floor corridor. Immediately." Skylar shivered as the Professor's words washed over her.

"That isn't good." She grabbed Ron and Harry by their wrists and ran out of the library, dragging them along with her.

* * *

They arrived on the stairwell of the second floor corridor, the three Gryffindors hiding behind the wall while eavesdropping on the teacher's conversation.

"As you can see, the Heir of Slytherin has left another message," Professor McGonagall relayed in a solemn tone, "Our worst fear has been realized. A student has been taken by the monster. Into the Chamber itself." The teachers broke out into protest and worried whispers. "I'm afraid we shall have to send the students home," McGonagall continued somberly, "I'm afraid… this is the end of Hogwarts." Skylar's jaw dropped, her mouth hanging open in shock. Hogwarts couldn't end! This was her home, her safe haven. Without it, she was just the broken girl, the orphan with abusive caretakers, the girl with no friends. Before she could do or say anything, however, a certain blonde professor stumbled upon the group of teachers.

"So sorry!" Gilderoy Lockhart bursted in the room giddily, "Dozed off. What have I missed?" Had Skylar not been so upset and scared, she would have laughed at Professor Flitwick's slack jawed expression.

"Just the man," Snape drawled monotonically, "A girl has been snatched by the monster, Lockhart. Your moment has come at last." Skylar reveled in the paleness that spread over Lockhart's impeccable features. He was being revealed as the fraud he truly was. How ironic.

"My m-moment?" The blonde professor stammered out, visibly gulping down a lump in his throat.

"Weren't you saying just last night that you've known all along where the entrance to the Chamber of secrets is?" Snape deadpanned, causing the other teachers to stare at Gilderoy expectantly.

"D-Did I?" Gilderoy smiled nervously, "I don't recall…"

"That settles it," Professor McGonagall adjusted her spectacles once more before continuing, "We'll leave it to you with the monster, Gilderoy. Your skills, after all, are legendary." Skylar could have sworn she saw the older professor's green eyes twinkling with humor. But she wouldn't make a joke over this matter, would she?

"V-very well," Gilderoy stammered, not at all convincingly, "I-l'll be in my office, getting - getting ready." He shuffled off in the direction he'd come, purple robes swishing dramatically around his figure.

"The rest of us should go and inform the students what has happened." Professor McGonagall stated.

"Who is it the monster's taken, Minerva?" Professor Sprout asked, concern laced in her question.

"Ginny Weasley." At this, Ron dropped to his knees, quickly comforted by Harry and Skylar. Once the teachers had filed out, they emerged to see the message left on the wall.

 _Her skeleton will lie in the Chamber forever._

* * *

"She knew something, Harry," Ron insisted as they snuck through the corridors with deliberance, "She'd found out something about the Chamber of Secrets. That's why she was - is -" He took a sharp intake of breath, "A pure-blood. There can't be any other reason."

"C'mon," Harry tugged at his wrist, "Let's go see Lockhart. He may be a brainless git, but he's going to try and get into the Chamber. We can tell him what we know…"

"Harry," Ron stopped in the middle of the hallway, "D'you think there's any chance at all she's not, you know -"

"We'll find her, Ron. Ginny's going to be fine." Harry falsely reassured him.

"Not going to be," Skylar piped up, "She _is_ fine. She's still alive, Ron, I just know it."

"And how can you be sure?" Ron looked at her with watery eyes.

"I know it sounds stupid," Skylar explained, "But I can just... _feel_ it. I know we'll save her. The same way I know Lockhart won't get anywhere without us alongside him." That brought a shaky smile to Ron's face, and the three friends interlocked hands before continuing on.

* * *

The door to Gilderoy Lockhart's office was already wide open when the second years arrived, and they quickly rushed in, only to witness Lockhart in the midst of packing his things.

"Professor, we've got some information for you-" Harry trailed off as he took in the scene around him, "Going somewhere?"

"Um, well, yes," Lockhart replied nervously, "Urgent call. Unavoidable. Got to go…" He couldn't seem to speak in more than a few syllables at a time.

"What about my sister?" Ron asked accusingly.

"Well, as to that - most unfortunate," The blonde professor scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "No one regrets more than i-"

"You're the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!" Ron interrupted the babbling professor, "You can't go now!"

"Yes, what kind of message would that send to all your friends?" Skylar cocked her head with mock innocence.

"I must say," Gilderoy stuttered, "When I took the job, nothing in the job description-"

"You're running away?" Harry had finally figured it out, "After all the stuff you did in your books?"

"He _said_ he did." Skylar murmured.

"What was that, child? Speak up." Gilderoy demanded.

"I said, you've lied in every single one of your books," She raised her chin in the air in defiance, "All those things happened, but _he_ was never the hero." She pointed an accusing finger at the culprit.

"Do use your common sense," Lockhart seemed to have shaken himself from his nervous spell, "No one wants to read about some ugly, old Armenian warlock, even if he did save a village from werewolves. He'd look dreadful on the front cover…"

"You're a fraud!" Harry shouted, "You've been taking credit for what other wizards have done!"

"He's a self-proclaimed figure head." Skylar added.

"So, is there anything you _can_ do?" Ron asked snarkily, still upset over the endangerment of his sister.

Yes, now that you mention it. I'm rather gifted with Memory Charms," Lockhart boasted, "Otherwise, you see, all those wizards would've gone blabbing and I'd never have sold another book. I'm afraid I'll have to do the same to you both, lest you do the same." At that, he raised his wand, but unfortunately for him, Harry was prepared.

"Expelliarmus!" He shouted, disarming the cocky professor. Lockhart blasted backwards, landing on his bum, while Skylar collected the wand he had dropped.

"Looks like those Dueling Lessons came in handy after all, _Professor_."

* * *

The three friends escorted Lockhart into the girl's bathroom - well, more like threatened him - their wands pointed at his cloaked figure. As soon as they entered the all-too-familiar setting, Moaning Myrtle approached them with a flirtatious smile.

"Hello, Harry. What do you want?" She batted her translucent eyelashes at him.

"To ask how you died." He replied stoically.

"Took you long enough!" Myrtle shrieked before calming down, "She asked me _weeks_ ago." She said, pointing to a red-faced Skylar. Ron and Harry gaped at her until she opened her mouth.

"I'm sorry, with everything else going on...I...I completely forgot!" She apologized sincerely.

"Yes, I told her about the strange yellow eyes, right...over...there…" Myrtle cooed, pointing to the sinks along the wall. As Skylar inspected the sinks, she spotted a small etching of a serpent carved into one of the sink handles.

"Harry, Ron, I think I found it!" She called them over.

"How do we we open it?" Ron looked to Skylar for an answer. She was silent for a moment before her cerulean blue eyes widened in understanding.

"Parseltongue." She breathed.

"Go on, say something, Harry," Ron coaxed his best friend, "Say something in Parseltongue." Harry looked to Skylar first, almost as if for her approval, who simply nodded in encouragement.

"Open up." Harry attempted, staring at the snake carving. Nothing happened, and he looked to Skylar for an answer.

"Focus on the snake." She suggested. Harry stared intensely at the carving until he opened his mouth, releasing a smooth hiss. The snake appeared to move as he uttered the single word in Parseltongue, and the sinks began moving until a large, circular entrance was revealed in the wall.

"It's a pipe." Skylar whispered.

"Excellent, Harry. Good work," Gilderoy Lockhart nervously complimented the second year as he attempted to back away, "Well then. I'll just be going, no need for me…"

"Oh yes there is," Harry interrupted, stopping the professor - or rather, ex-professor - in his tracks, "You first." He pointed the tip of his wand dangerously close to the blonde man's nose, blue eyes widening in fear.

"Now, boys," Gilderoy pleaded with the two, completely ignoring Skylar, "What good will it do?"

"A bloody lot if it's a two-hundred-foot drop onto jagged rocks." Ron scoffed. Gilderoy sighed and took a step forward into the dark tunnel before tripping and tumbling. There was a silent pause before he called up to them.

"It's really quite filthy down here." The trio sighed in relief and Harry turned to face the two redheads.

"All right. Let's go." Ron follows without protest, but Skylar stays put. "Skylar? Aren't you coming?" Skylar gnawed at her bottom lip and slowly shook her head. Harry looked at her in surprise, "What is it?"

"Something doesn't quite feel right to me…" She warily took a step back, "I'll be right back Harry, I swear it!" She said, heading towards the bathroom exit.

"But where are you going?" Harry called out to her, just as confused as Ron.

"Just trust me, alright?" Skylar turned back around to face them. Harry slowly nodded, bringing a small smile to Skylar's face.

"We trust you." Ron confirmed, nodding as well. Skylar nodded back before dashing off into the corridor.

* * *

Skylar had realized something once they had opened the Chamber of Secrets. The only thing that could defeat the Basilisk, besides roosters, were Phoenixes. And while all the roosters in Hogwarts were slaughtered, a Phoenix remained in its halls. Fawkes. Dumbledore's treasured phoenix. She clenched her teeth as she ran in the direction of the Headmaster's office. And even though Dumbledore wasn't here, Fawkes could still help them out. Skylar just hoped she could make it in time. As she rounded the corner, she hastily slowed down. The redhead had approached the gargoyles that guarded Dumbledore's office.

"Lemons!" She shouted out between heavy breathing, tapping her foot impatiently as the stone gargoyle slid to the side at an agonizingly slow rate. Once it had opened enough, Skylar slipped into the office and ran to the phoenix cage. Her fingers trembled as she struggled to unlatch the seeming-simple bird cage. Once the door was opened, the magnificent red and gold bird stared at her. "I need your help!" Skylar told the phoenix, "Harry's in trouble! He's in the Chamber of Secrets, with the _Basilisk_!" At the word "Basilisk", Fawkes had perked up, exiting the cage and climbing swiftly onto the redhead's shoulder. "Oh, thank you!" Skylar cried, "Now, quickly, follow me!" She shouted, Fawkes hopping off and landing in the air with his wings spread out.

Skylar ran back in the direction she'd come from, the magnificent phoenix trailing behind in the corridors. She burst through the bathroom door, holding it open for Fawkes, before entering the murky pipe that served as the Chamber's entrance. "Oh, I do hope we aren't too late!" Skylar cried, red hair swishing around her as she scrambled down the path. She was met by double doors decorated with snake carvings and an odd sight: Ron sitting on the ground along an unconscious Lockhart.

"Skylar?" Ron looked from her to the phoenix incredulously.

"What happ-" Skylar shook her head of her question and addressed her friend with haste, "I don't have time. How do I get in?" She waved in the direction of the doors.

"Parseltongue." Ron replied. Skylar nodded and quickly switched to snake dialect, a hissing noise emitting from her mouth. The doors slid open with ease, and she dashed in, closely followed by Fawkes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing in or relating to the Harry Potter franchise, besides my OC, Skylar Wolf.

 **A/N:** Sorry I've taken so long to post (in general), I'm just busy with school and preparing for finals and all... by anxiety is certainly taking its toll... Fun Fact: I was diagnosed with anxiety in sixth grade. Now I'm in tenth. Yay! Anyways, I hope you all enjoy. Until then, goodbye, loves! :)

Word Count: 2,578

* * *

Skylar entered the Chamber to see the huge Basilisk slithering towards a shadowed figure. The serpent's head scraped against the ceiling, even without its whole body stretched out. She squinted, recognizing the light reflecting off something. The light formed a shaky circle, and then two, and Skylar realized she was seeing a pair of spectacles. The figure was Harry. She gasped and froze in her spot upon seeing the monstrous serpent advancing on her friend. And then, she did the only thing she could think of. She screamed.

"HARRY!" She did manage to grasp the attention of the Basilisk, which was mainly what she was aiming for, but she also caught the attention of Harry.

"Skylar!" Harry yelled back, "Don't look into its eyes-" But when he shouted his warning, it was already too late. Skylar met the gaze of the Basilisk, golden eyes peircing blue. Skylar froze, but not from paralysis. She was frozen out of fear. She wriggled her fingers for conformation, gasping as they moved. She was still staring directly into the Basilisk's eyes, and she wasn't dead. Or paralyzed. Skylar continued to stare into the pair of large slitted eyes as the world around her became a blur. It was just her and the snake. They never broke eye contact. A feeling of serenity washed over Skylar, giving her the sensation of floating in midair. The trance remained unbroken until a sharp voice cut through the peaceful silence.

"How is this possible?!" A deep voice shouted, its owner emerging from the shadows. A handsome brunette clad in Slytherin robes, who appeared to be at least a sixth year student, stared at Skylar. His lip curled in anger as he advanced on her. "You shouldn't be alive." He snarled. With each step he took, Skylar took one back, until she was pressed flush against the wall. "What a pretty little thing." The man, whom Skylar had identified as Tom Riddle, grasped her chin with one hand. His eyes roamed over her features as he examined her, his hold on her exposing her pale neck. She was in a submissive position, like she'd been in so many times before. She shivered as Tom grew closer, flashes of her previous beatings surfacing in her mind.

"S-stop i-i-it." She stuttered, shaking furiously.

"Why would I do that?" Tom Riddle sneered, now nose-to-nose with the redhead, "You're just a _scared little girl_." Before she even realized what she was doing, Skylar had retracted her dragon-handled wand from within her robes and pointed it at the young version of Voldemort.

"That's where you're wrong, _Riddle_." She hissed, emphasizing his given name, "I'm not scared of you...or your pet." Her courage had dissipated and reappeared quicker than a snap of her fingers, and she didn't know what had triggered it. Perhaps it was the fear induced flashbacks that coaxed her Gryffindor spirit out. "Stupefy!" She shouted, a flash of red light freezing Tom Riddle in his place. With him out of the way, the Basilisk was unsure of what to do. It slithered over to Skylar and lowered its head in order to come face to face with her. For some reason, it no longer scared her, and she placed a hand gently on the serpent's snout. The Basilisk blinked before closing its amber eyes and rubbing against the small hand that comforted it. "I suppose he's never asked you what you wanted to do, huh, girl?" Skylar smiled, completely unaware of the figure slowly approaching her from behind. A pair of hands grasped her frail shoulders and threw her to the stone ground.

"You think you can get rid of me that easily?!" Tom Riddle hovered over her before stepping back and commanding the Basilisk. " _Kill her._ " He commanded in Parseltongue. The Basilisk looked uneasily from the redhead on the ground to her master. She seemed to have bonded with Skylar in those few moments, and couldn't force herself to kill the girl. "No? Fine then, _kill the boy._ " The Basilisk turned around and slithered towards Harry, who had been frozen with fear and shock the entire time.

"Harry!" Skylar shouted, scrambling up. Before she could run to him, Tom Riddle had wrapped his arms around her lithe frame, restricting any kind of movement. She writhed in his grip, and he simply pulled the small girl against his chest, resting his head atop hers in a mockingly sweet manner.

"Since my _pet_ refuses to kill you, you're going to watch it kill your friend." He hissed into her ear. Skylar shivered, goosebumps rippling over her skin.

"No! Harry!" She looked around frantically whilst wriggling in Riddle's grip, until her gaze landed on the tattered Sorting Hat that lay discarded on the Slytherin statue. It seemed to glow as she locked her eyes on it, and something told her it was important. "The Hat, get the Hat!" She shouted.

"Yes, get the hat, what will that do." Tom sneered. "Stupid girl." He nipped her earlobe and dug his fingernails into her sides, earning a whimper from the abused girl. She couldn't stop her shaking. Harry had turned at the noise, the Basilisk still advancing at a slow pace.

"Don't worry about me!" Skylar pleaded, "Get the Hat!" She emphasized, ignoring the sting in her ear as Riddle bit it again. "Don't touch me, you filthy _murderer_!" She hissed through her teeth.

"Oh, so you _do_ know who I am?" Tom Riddle asked snarkily, burying his face in the girl's shoulder. Skylar shivered at the unwanted contact and flailed her feet.

"You call yourself _Lord Voldemort_ , but you're just a _coward_." She hissed.

"Oh, a coward, huh?" Skylar bit her bottom lip as his teeth sunk into her neck. She was bleeding from both the bite on her neck and her lip. She shook and then stilled. "Given up, have we?"

"Not in the least." Skylar whispered, lowering her head. After a moment, she quickly lashed her head back, hearing the satisfying crack of Riddle's nose against her skull. The Slytherin released her from his grasp, and she ran towards the Basilisk. The snake turned towards her, addressing the girl with bloody eyes. Fawkes must have attacked when she was distracted. She felt remorse for the creature, but not much, since she was more concerned with the life of her best friend. Fawkes was still flapping around above the Basilisk's head, golden talons dripping with crimson.

"Fool!" Tom yelled from across the room, hand covering his broken nose, "You think you're safe? It can still hear you!" At his words, the Basilisk turned towards Harry's direction and advanced on the boy at an alarming rate, murky emerald and chartreuse scales reflecting what little light filtered into the Chamber.

Skylar was mesmerized by the shimmering pattern, radiant in contrast to the dark, dank, dungeon-like Chamber. She forced herself to pull her gaze from the magnificent beast, switching her focus to her endangered best friend. She witnessed Harry jumping out of the way of the heavy, swinging tail, a fortunate event indeed. The tail rammed into one of the many statues depicting Salazar Slytherin, the sculpture shattering into millions of pebble-sized pieces. Skylar took a deep breath as some of the rubble flew towards her, whipping out her wand and whispering, "Protegro" at an astounding speed, effectively creating an invisible barrier to protect herself from the projectiles. From her position, she could barely make out the two figures disappearing into a dark tunnel, the Basilisk tailing Harry.

Riddle cackled as Harry and the serpentine beast disappeared into the shadows, a quiet groan joining in with his demonic laughter.

"Ginny?" Skylar gasped, recognizing the source. She raced over to the young Weasley girl and kneeled beside her. She pushed orange strands of hair from the pale girl's face and felt her forehead with the back of her hand. "You're so cold…" She whispered, to herself more than the girl who couldn't even respond.

"Yes, Potter. The process is nearly complete," Skylar looked up to see that Harry had returned from the tunnel, and was being engaged by none other than Tom Riddle, "In a few minutes, Ginny Weasley will be dead. And I will cease to be a memory. Lord Voldemort will return. Very much… alive." Harry's green eyes narrowed before taking a hesitant step towards Ginny and Skylar. The redhead's eyes widened as she spotted the glittering gold of what was left of the Basilisk's eyes.

"Harry!" She cried out, the Basilisk advancing faster. Harry turned, and seeing the serpentine monster, fled towards the Slytherin statue with the Sorting Hat draped over it. He clutched at the hat frantically, straining his arm to reach. Skylar bit into her already-split lip, teeth digging into bloodied flesh, as the bespectacled boy barely managed to grab the tattered garment between his fingers. He seemed to have seen something within the ancient hat, and he reached his arm inside, re-emerging with an object. More specifically, a shining sword, complete with a ruby-embedded hilt. "Wow…" Skylar breathed out, staring at the magnificent weapon in Harry's hand. She shook with worry as he swung the heavy sword, the momentum carrying his lithe body along with the blade. Whenever the blade made contact, however, it only managed to anger the serpent. "Harry, its skin is practically unbreakable!" Skylar shouted through cupped hands. She assumed he hadn't heard her, as he had jumped onto the serpent. He waited patiently until the Basilisk struck, waving the sort madly in some sort of attempt to protect himself. He drove the sword upwards, burying the blade into the roof of the snake's mouth.

The Basilisk thrashed and thrusted its head, releasing the bloody sword with a clatter, and knocking Harry to the ground as well. The beast struck next, burying a single fang into Harry's forearm. "Harry!" Skylar screamed, running over to her friend. The fang had embedded itself into flesh, completely separated from the dead Basilisk's mouth. Skylar yanked the fang from its position, coaxing a scream from the wounded wizard. Harry stared silently at his wound, dripping crimson onto the stone tiles below. Skylar had wrapped her cloak around his wound in an amateur attempt to stop the blood flow.

"Remarkable, isn't it?" Riddle approached the two second years with an eerie smile, "How quickly the venom of the Basilisk penetrates the body?" Skylar's own body was racked with silent sobs as she applied pressure to Harry's wound, "If you have any final words, Potter, you'd best speak them now. I'd guess you have little more than a minute to live." Harry and Skylar stared at the exposed skin, since Skylar had given up and removed the bloody cloak, watching as cream colored flesh turned a sickly gray. "So ends the famous Harry Potter," Riddle chuckled, "Defeated at last by the Dark Lord he so unwisely challenged. You'll be back with your dear Mudblood mother soon, Harry…"

Harry glanced at Ginny, her face a troubling white, almost ghost-like. Skylar had since stopped crying, and followed her friend's gaze to the Weasley's trembling finger, seemingly pointing towards… Tom Riddle's diary? The redhead's cerulean eyes widened in realization, and she stuck the fang into her bundled-up cloak, slowly crawling over to Ginny on her hands and knees while Riddle was focused on Harry.

"Funny, isn't it? The damage a silly little book can do?" Riddle mocked, "Especially in the hands of a silly little girl." At his words, Riddle turned to smirk at Ginny, only to see Skylar removing the book from her fragile hands. "What are you doing? No, stop!" He lunged towards the redhead, but she was too quick. She quickly plunged the bloody fang into the diary, puncturing the mass of leather and parchment, black ink spurting from the diary like blood. "No!" Riddle screeched, his body slowly dematerializing in front of the students' eyes. As he vanished, Harry sunk back to the stone tiles, weak from the venom.

"Oh, Harry!" Skylar cried, rushing over to cradle his limp body in her arms. She buried her face into his shoulder and sobbed, tears staining his shirt and cloak. Ginny sat up suddenly, her face once more filled with color.

"Harry," She gasped, "It was me! But I swear I didn't mean to… Riddle made me. He wrote to me… took me over… I didn't even know whose diary it was. I found it inside my cauldron. The day we all went to Diagon Alley and...Harry," She said, as though she had just noticed his wound, "You're hurt."

"Ginny," He croaked hoarsely, "You need to get yourself out… Follow the chamber… You'll find Ron… Skylar too…" Skylar shook her head in protest, head still buried in Harry's cloak. Before Harry could say anything, a fluttering of wings caught the attention of all three. Fawkes, with his golden talons and wings like a sunset, landing on the floor beside him. He lay his head on Harry's arm as Skylar stroked his feathers gently. "You were brilliant, Fawkes. I just… wasn't quick enough."

"Please… Fawkes… " Skylar pleased through sobs, "Save him… tears… " She managed to choke out. The phoenix began crying, iridescent liquid pearls pooling from his eyes and onto Harry's wound. His skin stitched itself back together, blood and gray skin disappearing with ease.

"Of course. Phoenix tears." Harry said, smiling at Skylar. A tear slid down her face and she rose her hand, slapping him across the face. "Bloody hell!" He cried, resting his hand on his reddening cheek, "What was that for."

"What do you think?" Skylar sobbed, pounding her fists weakly onto Harry's healed arm, "You bloody near died on me!" She stopped hitting him and lunged herself at the wizard, wrapping her pale arms around his neck tightly. Harry laughed weakly and returned the embrace.

"Now, let's go." Harry suggested, helping the redhead up. Skylar clutched onto his hand, using her other to link arms with Ginny.

* * *

Fawkes led the three through the tunnels, and soon they could see the light of the exit. Ron's face appeared in the path ahead, and he rushed towards them.

"Ginny!" He cried, squeezing his sister before doing the same to Skylar. "You're alive… I… I can't believe it."

"I'm going to be expelled, I just know it!" Ginny sobbed. Skylar and Harry gave a weak chuckle at her antics.

"Remind you of anyone?" Ron joked, nudging Skylar. Her eyes widened.

"Hermione! We need to go see her!" She pushed forward, forgetting she was holding Harry's hand. He grasped it tightly and tugged back, nearly knocking her to the ground.

"It's fine, we just need to find Lockhart first." He reassured her. A humming noise caught their attention, and they looked to the corner where the blonde ex-professor rocked back and forth.

"What's wrong with him?" Skylar asked bemused.

"Memory Charm backfired," Ron explained patiently, "Hasn't got a clue who he is. I keep having to stop him wandering off. He's a danger to himself." Gilderoy looked up and smiled at the four.

"Hello. Odd sort of place, this, isn't it? Do you live here?"

"No." Ron sighed, as though he'd answered the question multiple times already, which was most likely the case. Fawkes circled above head, drawing attention to the opening in the ceiling before meeting Harry's gaze. "What's with the bird?" Ron crinkled his nose in confusion.

"He's telling Harry that he can take us out of here." Skylar whispered.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing in or related to the Harry Potter franchise besides my OC (aka Skylar Wolf and pet cat Celeste) Does the cat count as an OC? Jk ;P

 **A/N:** Sorry, once again. I feel like I say sorry in each chapter, but each time, I genuinely am. I know how annoying it is when authors take forever to post, and I'm such a hippocrite (I can't spell!) for it, since I take forever to post. Welp, this is it. The final chapter. And probably the shortest. (Sorry about that!) I really hope you guys like what I did with the ending. If you do, review. If you don't, review. Either way, please review. And tell me if you want me to continue the series and write the third one next! Thanks, loves. :3 :)

Also, for any outfits, go to Polyvore. My username is scarletpen13 on Polyvore, all lowercase and no spaces - I tried to make it similar to my username on here. All outfits are labeled by story, OC, and which outfit it is. I try to be organized! Tell me if you want more outfits on Polyvore for this story!

Word Count: 1,538

* * *

After Fawkes had miraculously carried the five wizards from the Chamber, Dumbledore had requested to speak to them in his office, excluding Gilderoy Lockhart. The diary, or what was left of it, sat in front of the bearded wizard on his desk. He examined it before addressing the students gravely.

"Simply ingenious," He murmured with a sullen tone, "Of course, Tom Riddle was probably the most brilliant student Hogwarts has ever seen. I taught him myself fifty years ago. After he left, I would hear stories of his activities - dark rumors - but after awhile, even the rumors stopped. When he finally resurfaced as Lord Voldemort, most people had completely forgotten the clever Head Boy he'd once been."

"I didn't know whose diary it was, sir," Ginny insisted, "I found it in my cauldron," She turned to Harry, Ron, and Skylar before adding, "The day we all went to Diagon Alley." Skylar frowned as she recalled the moments in the bookstore from her eidetic memory, stopping her imaginary reel at the scene between Arthur Weasley and Lucius Malfoy. While everyone had been distracted, Malfoy - Draco - had slipped a textbook into Ginny's cauldron. He must have replaced one of her textbooks with the diary, using a false cover. Skylar gasped as she put the pieces together. They all turned to her and she quickly shook her head, murmuring "Spider" and succeeded in both scaring Ron and drawing attention away from herself. "But I understand if…" Ginny looked down at her feet, "Given all the trouble I've caused… if you-"

"Wiser wizards than you have been hoodwinked by Lord Voldemort, Miss Weasley," Dumbledore interrupted her, "No, I think you've endured enough. I would suggest a bit of rest, however. And perhaps, a large mug of hot chocolate. I always find that cheers me up. Minerva, will you show Arthur and Molly up to the hospital wing?"

"Oh!" Skylar piped up, "May I go along, please, sir? I really want to see Hermione!" She begged, bringing out the infamous puppy eyes.

"Of course, I'll… just have these two," Dumbledore gestured to Ron and Harry, "Pass a message on to you." Skylar nodded and raced through the corridors, ignoring Professor McGonagall's shouts for her to stop running. Once she had reached the Hospital Wing, many previously petrified students were up and about, including Hermione. She was attempting to lift her stack of books by herself. Skylar giggled and ran up behind the brunette quietly before loudly asking, "Need any help with that?" Hermione froze, dropping the books to the ground before spinning around to crush the redhead in a tight hug.

"Skylar!" She squealed, releasing the petite witch.

"Oh my god, Hermione, I'm so sorry!"

"For what?" Hermione cocked her head in confusion.

"Um, it's my fault you were petrified," Skylar began, "If I had just told Ron and Harry then you-"

"No, stop it!" Hermione interrupted her ramble, "It's not your fault, Skylar. _I_ chose to go after it. There was nothing you could have done. If anything, we _both_ would have been petrified. The only reason I have to be upset with you is the fact that you figured it out before me!" She made a mock angry face before bursting into laughter, shortly followed by Skylar.

* * *

"You solved it!" Hermione squealed, hugging Harry once he entered the Great Hall for the final banquet. She stopped right as she was about to embrace Ron, opting for a handshake instead. Skylar shook her head and laughed.

"Geez, you'd think the two of you were harboring feelings for each other, with that much awkwardness in the air." Hermione and Ron laughed, genuinely. Skylar pulled Hermione beside her and they sat down across from the boys. They turned their attention to Professor Dumbledore, who was preparing to make a grand speech in lieu of the Chamber of Secrets being closed.

"Before we begin our feast, let's give a round of applause to Professor Sprout and Madame Pomfrey, whose Mandrake Juice has been successfully administered to all those who had been petrified." The Great Hall broke out in applause, Skylar cheering and hugging the brunette beside her in joy. "Also, in wake of recent events, as a school treat, all exams have been cancelled." The students cheered, save for Hermione.

"Oh no!" She cried, burying her face in her hands, the redhead beside her bursting into a fit of giggles, clutching her stomach from the laughter. The doors squeaked open, sending a wave of silence over the Great Hall. Hagrid awkwardly entered, eyes shifting back and forth nervously as everyone stared at him.

"Sorry I'm late." He addressed Dumbledore, "The owl deliverin' my release papers got all lost 'n confused. Some ruddy bird named Errol." This sent Skylar into a second fit of giggles, drawing the eyes of all the students.

"Ron," She gasped out between giggles, "That's...that's your… bloody… bird!" She cried, the boy's face blossoming with red.

"I jus' want to say…" Hagrid addressed the four of them after Skylar had calmed down, "That if it wasn't for you, Harry… you an' Ron… an' Skylar and Hermione… Well, I jus' want to say thanks." He finished, staring at his muddy boots. Skylar got up from the table and tackled him in a giant hug.

"There's no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid." Harry added. Dumbledore began slowly clapping, the whole of the Great Hall joining in. Hagrid, who was already getting teary-eyed from the hug and Harry's comment, began swiping at the tears from his eyes. Students surrounded Hagrid and the whole Hall rejoiced.

* * *

Skylar entered the boy's dormitory as Harry finished packing up, the last student besides Ron, Neville, and Hermione. They had decided they would find a cabin on the Hogwart's Express together.

"So…" Skylar rocked back and forth on her heels as she cradled a pile of black fur in her arms. She had already changed out from her school robes, sporting a plain gray t-shirt, jeans, and a black hoodie, "What did Dumbledore say?" She walked over to what was previously Harry's bed and plopped down on the edge, laying Celeste in her lap, who was fast asleep.

"Well he started by telling us we broke enough rules to be expelled…" Harry gaged Skylar's reaction for worry, but she only chuckled, "Oh, we all received 200 points each-"

"Oh, that's why we won the House Cup!" Skylar butted in, "Sorry, go on."

"Yeah, apparently Voldemort put a bit of himself in me when he tried to kill me…" He looked at Skylar's unvexed expression and frowned, "Why are you acting like you already knew?"

"I didn't, if that's what you're asking, "Skylar assured him, "It just… adds up. You said you almost got into Slytherin, you're a Parselmouth…"

"Okay, well, apparently that sword was Godric Gryffindor's and only a true Gryffindor could pull it from the Sorting Hat." Harry added. Skylar beamed at him.

"Hah! I told you, you know, last year? I said you're the bravest person I've ever met! A true Gryffindor!"

"Oh, and you want to hear the best part?" Harry asked with a sly smile. Skylar clapped her hands together in excitement.

"Oooh, tell me!" She squealed, imitating a child.

"I tricked Lucius Malfoy into freeing Dobby." Skylar's jaw dropped.

"That's… bloody hell, Harry… that's great!" She burst into laughter, "Oh, I wish I could have seen his face!" Her own face was growing pinker by the second, "Oh, and what did Dobby do to repay you?"

"I made him promise to never try and save my life again." Harry muttered, ensuing a momentary silence.

"That's priceless!" Skylar chuckled before sobering up, "Harry?" She looked up at him with a serious look in her eyes.

"Yeah?"

"Aren't you afraid that something like this is going to happen again?" She stared at her kitten, petting it gently.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked, a perplexed expression plastered over his features.

"So far, something crazy, and related to Voldemort," She added, "Has happened to us here. I just… have this weird feeling… like it's going to keep happening."

"I'm sure you're just over analyzing this whole situation." Harry reassured her, sitting down beside her to pet Celeste. Skylar sighed.

"I suppose you're right, I mean, Hermione said the same thing… "

"Well then, you know it's true!" Harry joked, earning a smile and playful punch on the arm.

"Anyways," Skylar picked up her feline companion and grabbed her luggage after hopping off the bed, "We should get going. The train won't wait for us." Harry nodded and picked up his luggage, following behind with Hedwig by his side, in her birdcage, of course. Once they made their way to the train, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Neville had already found a cabin. A spot by the girls was available for Skylar, right across from the empty space that was presumably for Harry. Skylar sat down and looked around the cabin. Lord knew how much she would miss her friends this summer. As the train took off from the station, Skylar stared out the train window at the Hogwarts castle, longing for the summer to pass as quickly as the school year had.


End file.
